


Hyperdimension Neptunia S: Age of Adventure

by NapkinBox



Category: Hyperdimension Neptunia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2018-10-31 04:57:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 52,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10892172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NapkinBox/pseuds/NapkinBox
Summary: A foreign girl from another continent crash lands into Gamindustri. The CPUs want to learn more about her and where she came from and make her feel at home, but what can they do for a girl that can weave the threads of reality?





	1. Adventure!

**Part 1**

Noire fought desperately for her eyes from closing, it took her more than a moment to realize she was halfway dangling from the railing. Uni had her arms wrapped around Noire's waist to keep her from going over and pulled her back to the safety of the metal platform.

Panting, Noire watched Uni's lips formed words, but no noise were coming out. No noise, except for the loud clanging and banging of cranes, the air-rupturing roars of helicopters, and the crashing tides of the sea. Instead of trying to read her little sister's lips, Noire turned her focus on to the tablet in her hand. She was near the point of passing out from exhaustion that she wanted to continue her work, even so far as to ignore her sister even if it was unintentional.

Uni's hand was then on top of the tablet's screen, forcing Noire's attention to the CPU Candidate.

"You shouldn't be even be here. You should be back at the Basilicom taking a rest." Uni had to almost yell in Noire's ear to get her to hear over the loud noises.

Noire responded with her usual justification by placing work above all else, but from seeing the look on Uni's face, she likely couldn't hear. Actually, whether it were the loud noises or the fact that she was so tired, Noire couldn't tell if she said anything at all.

A pop-up icon appeared on her tablet. A message from Blanc. She tapped the screen to start a video chat and walked away a good distance from the docks so she could at least make out what Blanc was saying.

"I'm really sorry about all the noise," Noire said.

"I assume all that commotion means progress is going well?"

"Why, yes. We deployed vessels with sonar capabilities and studied the flow of water around Gamindustri to predict where it would end up, but it turned out we didn't even need to do all that. It ended up floating all the way here and crashed into our docks. How lucky is that?"

"I apologize if I come off just a tad too suspicious, but are you certain that this ship isn't possibly a rogue unit from your navy? Or perhaps… a spy?"

Noire sighed. "This again? Come on, Blanc, trust me a little. Why would _I_ send a spy? I have no reason to and I wouldn't possibly dare to do anything that would harm the relationship between any of our nations."

"I know I shouldn't throw accusations without proper evidence, but…" she paused for a moment to flip through a number of papers on her desk. "…I can only imagine your nation to be capable of harboring something with such advanced technology. Looking through its specifications, it makes a complete mockery of my city, Leanbox, and Planeptune.

"No kidding, but don't think knowing that isn't blowing my mind as well. I'm telling you, even Lastation isn't capable with that type of technology. Well, not yet, anyway… b-but, it's all still in the process of research and development and we're no where near done. This… This _thing_ is like lightyears ahead of all of Gamindustri."

Blanc continued to flip through pages of documents, even flipping back to the first page to go through all of them again. Just looking at her eyes anyone could tell that her pride had taken the deep end. "Any word on Planeptune and Leanbox?"

Before Noire could say anything, Uni had already moved her head in front. "Nepgear said that she and Neptune are about to check the coast off Planeptune for clues. Apparently they've been given lots of scrap metal and other things. Leanbox, too. Their beaches are filled with nothing but scrap and junk."

"I see," Blanc nodded.

"That being said… Vert has been acting very joyful about it. Think she has a clue?"

"That may very well be the case. In any case, Noire, I'll leave your end to you. And remember—"

"Geez, I know already," Noire giggled. "I swear as CPU of Lastation."

"Very well. I'll contact you again soon." And with that, the screen went black.

Noire sighed as she handed her tablet over to Uni and stared out towards the sea. Normally, there would be a beautiful scene of the glimmering waters of Lastation, but right now, there was a large curtain of cranes, vessels, and numerous helicopters connected with a thick cable underneath their metal frames.

The cranes and helicopters went up and the boats dispersed in opposite directions. Noire had gone far enough to get away from the busy noises of the harbor, but despite the distance between her and the waters, what erected from under was so large it was as if Noire was gazing upon her own Basilicom from the very bottom. It wouldn't be wrong to say that it is probably even bigger than that. Noire and Uni's hearts stopped and their eyes widen, their sights froze on the monstrous pillar of water that could easily pierce the heavens if it didn't stop — and it didn't look like it will. They were practically staring up towards the sky. Uni almost fell backwards before catching her step. Finally, the water that veiled the object's identity came crashing down like a massive waterfall, revealing a massive ship adorned in a gun metal material. There were lights. Bright blue lights that seemed to pulse from the inside. Some parts of the ship were even transparent, allowing one to see inside from the outside. It was almost alien. No, it _was_ alien. But despite the otherworldly design, Noire couldn't get past the sheer size of it. The ship itself could pass as its own nation.

There was no way something like this could possibly exist in Gamindustri.

**Part 2**

Neptune fell forward while hiking up a rocky hill, holding onto a large walking stick to keep herself from face-planting.

"I can't… go on… Nep Jr… you must… go on… without… me…"

"But sis, we've only been walking for ten minutes."

"Oh, I know," Neptune stood right back up with her usual energetic demeanor. "This stick or staff or whatchamacallit really puts you on that adventuring mood, y'know? It's like we're about to head out on a journey, visit all the unknown corners of the earth, meet new allies, kill demons, and defeat the final end boss that takes the form of an evil demonic eyeball residing at the top of a volcano. I'm totally the mage, despite what canonical sources might suggest. What about you, Nep Jr.?"

"Um, well, I'd prefer to be some sort of mechanic that collects trinkets. Do you think that's cool?"

"Uh, that sounds canon already." Neptune hopped and jumped from rock to rock until she reached the summit, stabbing her walking stick at the top as if proclaiming her land as hers. "That being said, for the past couple days you sure looked like a mechanic who has stepped through the pearly gates of steampunk heaven."

Stars larger than those in the galaxy occupied Nepgear's eyes. Planeptune guards have found numerous scraps of mechanical parts washed up on the shore. No one knew how it appeared or where it came from, but if anyone in Planeptune had any sort of interest in these kinds of trinkets, they knew the CPU Candidate would be delighted to receive them as gifts.

"Processing units with multiple power cores capable of virtual duplication computing…" Nepgear rambled on and on, checking off her mental checklist of all the parts she was given like she was the manager of a factory, far lost in bliss that she didn't notice they had reached their destination.

Neptune snapped her fingers an inch away from Nepgear's face. "Yoo-hoo~ Dear sweet lovely little sister and heir to the Neptunian throne, Neppity Neppity Nep Jr. Just because I left you once doesn't mean you can leave me alone in the dark, cold barren wasteland that is reality."

"O-oh, goodness, are we there already?"

"Geez, you've been losing yourself in your crazy fantasies more often than before ever since you've started collecting all those weird gadgets that've been appearing all over."

"Do you think Planeptower needs any renovating? Oh, what if…!"

"There she goes again," Neptune said, sweat dripping from her forehead. She held her walking stick in her hands and gave it a thorough inspection. It was also a gift from the guards. They found it in the middle where all the washed up scraps were found, but it was eye-catching enough that it grabbed their attention. It was crude, but well taken care of. Not necessarily made by hand, apparently, but rather a root or a branch from a very photogenic tree with favourable genetics. At least, that's what the guards said. Either way, it looked super cool to Neptune.

After passing through a few more trees, they were met with the calm waters of the shores southeast of Planeptune. The pure, blue seas glistened, caressing the edges of the yellow beach.

"They must have cleaned up the place real good," Neptune said as she slid down the small grassy cliff that met with the sand at the bottom. "Let's take stroll down the shoreline. We might find some more parts along the way."

"What the goodness?" Nepgear jumped in shock. "What are all those Dogoos doing?"

Neptune looked over to where Nepgear was pointing. There was a dogpile of Dogoos where the waves reached the land.

"Maybe they're just having a bath?" Neptune tilted her head, confused whether or not a bath was actually what they were doing. If they were, what got them so excited to be piling up on each other? _Hold on a sec_ … As the waters receded, Neptune narrowed her eyes and took a closer look. While the Dogoos jumped and bounced and squeezed all up against eachother, Neptune can notice something within the gaps in the middle of the swarm, something that didn't resemble a Dogoo at all.

"Neptune, it's a person," Nepgear yelled in a panic. "She's under all those Dogoos."

"All right, lemme at 'em." Neptune decided there was no time to wait and charged straight towards the pile of Dogoos. She held her staff in her left, a katana materialized in her right. She jumped in the air — "Hiyah!" — and slashed her sword as she touched down, clearing away the pile of Dogoos and freeing the unconscious body from all that weight.

The ones that managed to jump out of the way surrounded Neptune. With her usual smile on her face and fire in her eyes, she readied her ultimate staff-and-sword combination technique that she thought of on the fly.

Then there was a sudden scream.

Neptune looked back over towards the trees where itcame from and saw Nepgear fighting off another group of Dogoos. It didn't seem like anything was unusual or difficult until she noticed even more Dogoos appeared from out of the trees, even more than there were currently present. Once Neptune turned her attention back to the Dogoos surrounding her, she noticed that the number of Dogoos grew. What started with five Dogoos ready to battle turned to the entire beach becoming a sea of Dogoos.

She did have to work her muscles after weeks of playing video games, though.

The first group of Dogoos jumped at her. She swung her sword and they all dematerialized in the air. Another group of Dogoos proceeded to attack and they fell to a single blow. One Dogoo tried to sneak up on her from behind, but Neptune was too fast and bashed its head in with the blunt end of her staff. The feeling of using her new weapon felt great; she wondered if this is how the older her first got into duel-wielding. Is it too late to change classes to a thief?

Neptune danced around the battlefield with sword and staff in hand taking out probably hundreds of Dogoos by now. She glanced at Nepgear at times to see how she was holding up just to see she was still fending off Dogoos as well. That was fine. Nothing wrong with that. What was wrong, however, was how long they've gone at it. They should be at least be half way done with defeating all of them, right? Neptune's shoulders dropped. Dogoos on all sides stretching from the furthest corners of the beach and more coming from the forest.

Nepgear screamed once more. A number of Dogoos managed to get the jump on her, causing her to trip and tumble down the cliff side.

"Aww _Nep_ …" She took a step back and the Dogoos hopped forward. She took out more of them out to reach Nepgear's body, but the annoying creatures wouldn't give her a chance to make room. One of the Dogoos timed its attack during one of her swings. Neptune saw it coming and tightened her core to force her body back and swung her left arm around, hitting the Dogoos with the staff like a baseball bat. Her right foot landed behind her and with all the pressure used on it to stop her momentum, she felt what was like a gunshot throughout her entire calf.

"Ahh! Ow, ow! Ahhhh!" Neptune scooted away from the Dogoos with one hand with the other squeezing and massaging her leg. She reached for her stick and swung it around, hoping to give herself enough time, but to no avail.

One Dogoo placed all its weight on top of Neptune, pinning her down. A couple sat and locked down her right arm. A few more came and piled up on her lower body. The blue creatures came piling on top one after another until Neptune could barely breath and could only see, if she looked hard enough, a sliver of the sky above. She grasped onto her staff as tightly as she could, the only part of her that was outside the mass of Dogoos, as if she were hanging onto her life.

She felt something grab onto the staff. She thought a Dogoo was about to take it away from her, so she refused to let go. A musical note resonated in the air and sounded like it was being played directly into her ears. It was a wonderful sound that took Neptune's mind off her current predicament for a brief moment. The weight of the staff shifted from the outside and another note on a different scale was played. A lower note, but a beautiful note. The staff shifted weight once more, and a higher melody found its way into Neptune's ear. Was the sound coming from the staff? Neptune could barely see a glowing light coming from the midshaft of the staff. She slid her hand down the shaft until her hand reached the space that glowed. As she touched the light, another of the same beautiful note she heard first played and the Dogoos that were swarming on top of her stopped.

Even Neptune froze in confusion, wondering what had happened to the Dogoos and what their next move will be. After a minute, the Dogoos started to dissipate, losing all interest in Neptune and headed off into the woods until they were no where to be seen, leaving Neptune alone on the beach with a paralyzed Nepgear and an unconscious person.

Or a now-conscious person, to be precise. A girl with long, white hair held on to one end of Neptune's staff. She let out a groan and opened one eye to look at Neptune. "Think you could carry me… p-please…?"

**Part 3**

Neptune leaned back against a tree and slowly sat down without putting any unwanted pressure on her leg. She kept on poking her calf, trying to feel if there was a giant hole in her leg. The slight pain was getting somewhat addicting. _Yow!_ — until she poked too hard.

"Careful, sis," Nepgear said. She was walking shoulder-to-shoulder with the girl that was found buried under a pack of Dogoos. They both had found the feeling in their bodies after a few minutes of paralysis and fatigue.

Now that she could get a better look at her, the new girl looked a bit… plain. Something about her aesthetic fails to make an impression that people of Gamindustri usually put out. Soft, earthy colors instead of bright colors that pop. The only thing noticeable was her off-white hair and the large shawl wrapped around her shoulder that looked more like a poncho.

Nepgear had the girl sit next to Neptune while she sat on her knees in front of them. Just when Neptune was about to greet the new girl, she noticed Nepgear started squirming. Nepgear thought she was being subtle about it, but Neptune could obviously see the amount of squirming she was doing.

"You all right there, kiddo?"

Nepgear whined as she couldn't help but squirm some more. "Well… Aww… It's just that… I'm a bit sticky in places that I prefer not to talk about…"

"Aww, it's okay, Nepgear." Neptune looked at her with such sympathy and compassion that Nepgear couldn't help but smile and feel better about it. That was until Neptune suddenly blurted out laughing.

"W-wha— Neptune!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just so happy that my baby sister is starting to grow up so fast."

"Neptuuune!"

Neptune was lost in her hysterical laughter while Nepgear grabbed her arms and tried to pin her down to stop the embarrassment. It was hard to tell whether this is how their relationship usually is or they're just putting on a comedy act, but the more the girl watched, the more she couldn't help but laugh as well. Her laughter caught the sisters' attention, and once they glanced at each other for a moment, they laughed along with her.

"The both of you are so funny," she said. "And incredibly cute together."

"Yeah, we get that a lot, y'know? A smile here, a flaunt there, and a little bit of skinship and the fanbase goes bonkers. Oh, the name's Neptune, by the way."

"O-oh, um, sorry for not introducing ourselves earlier. My name's Nepgear. Nice to meet you."

"And before you ask — yes, I _am_ the main character. I'm also the older sister. People get that confused."

The girl giggled and tried to stand up while using the staff as support, but her body was still fatigued and gave up on her, dropping herself back down hard.

"Be careful," Nepgear cried as she helped the girl sit properly against the tree.

"Th-thank you. Sorry about that. I haven't been able to exercise for a while, and I guess I didn't realize how long I was knocked out for." She put the staff aside, letting it stand against the tree. "I'm Lacoste. Really, thank you for helping me out there. I was nothing but dead before you two came along."

"Aw shucks, it was nothing. Just leave it to the ol' Nepster and junior here and we'll show every monster who really owns Gamindustri. Although, if anyone — or anything — deserves thanks, it's that nifty walking stick you got there. Well, I say stick, but… what exactly is it?"

"Oh, this?" Lacoste grabbed it and laid it on her lap. "You're not wrong to call it a walking stick, that's what I pretty much use it for, but it's actually a distaff."

"A distaff?"

Nepgear tilted her head. "Isn't that for… sewing?"

"I dunno. Maybe, but I've taken this baby with me on all my adventures. It's my walking stick, it's my weapon of choice, it's pretty much my longest friend I've ever had."

"Woah," Neptune said wide-eyed. "Did you just say 'adventures'?"

"Yep. There's nothing better than exploring unknown places, learning new things, seeing the wonders of the world. In fact, I was in the middle of an adventure when I lost control of my ship and crashed and, well, now I'm here."

"What the goodness?" Nepgear cried in disbelief. "You crashed in a ship? That's terrifying, but… Neptune, if that's the same ship, we just found the owner."

Neptune only stared while Nepgear shook her shoulders until after a brief moment, Neptune's eyes and mouth widen at the revelation. "You're absolutely right. Wow, this quest was super easy-peasy. In just a mere hour of hiking, we found the captain. There's nothing, but to be proud of this cute little battle-worn main character. Go me."

"Sis, we should head back and let Histoire know."

"Perfect, I'm ready to head back to Planeptune and celebrate with a huge load of puddiiiing~!"

Neptune's excitement made her jump off her butt, but she couldn't stand for more than half a second before her leg started to explode. She yelped in pain and landed on top of Lacoste, knocking her down as well.

"Goodness, N-Neptune…!"

"I'm alright… I just… my leg is just— Nep! My leg!"

"Stop… moving… you're crushing my hip…"

After Nepgear helped Neptune and Lacoste back up against the tree, Neptune thought that it would be best fly rather than wait for her leg to heal.

"Fly?" Lacoste raised an eyebrow.

"Darn straight. Check it, we can't really move in our current state, so it's better if we just transform into our healthy, sexy, totally busty older selves and fly back home. We can carry you, too."

"Well…" Nepgear knew her sister was right, and she agreed, but something about that sentence rubbed her chest the wrong way. "About that…"

"Hold on, 'transform'?"

Neptune pulled Nepgear up and leaned against her shoulder. "Feast your eyes on this."

Neptune smacked Nepgear's chest — "Owie!" — and a white glow engulfed both their bodies, blinding Lacoste. After a few moments later, the light subsided and Lacoste looked where the purple sisters were standing, only to see a two beautiful women in bodysuits standing in their place.

Lacoste's mouth widen so much her jaw was about to fall off. "You're…!"

"I am the CPU of Planeptune, Purple Heart." Her voice, so mature and seductive, yet held a certain resolve that could make anyone humble and loyal.

"And I'm the CPU Candidate." That was totally Nepgear no matter how much Lacoste didn't want to believe it.

Lacoste looked back and forth between the older Neptune and Nepgear, blinking to see if what she was saw was real. Once she finally accepted it, she stared at the both of them, running her eyes on every inch of their bodies. It was making the sisters rather self-conscious about it.

"Um, Lacoste," Neptune said, "are you all right? We didn't startle you or anything, did we?"

Lacoste clenched her distaff and held it firmly against her chest. "N-no, I'm… I'm fine." Her voice was breaking. She placed her hand over her eyes to hide the tears that welled up.

Nepgear floated to Lacoste's said and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Is something the matter?"

Lacoste wiped her tears and shook her head. "No, I'm fine, really. Please, I want to see your home."

**Part 4**

Neptune groaned in satisfaction as she sank deep within her large beanbag chair while Nepgear massaged Neptune's leg. Histoire came floating in with a plastic bag filled with Nep pudding.

"Pudding~" Nepgear cheered. "Ahhh, this kind of treatment is exactly what the main character needs after a day's hard work out on the field."

"Nepgear, you don't have to spoil your sister like this. It is only a pulled muscle."

"I know," she giggled, "but Neptune's right. We found the reason for why all the debris washing up on our shores and also the owner of the ship that crashed in Lowee and Lastation."

"That may be, but…" History conceded with a sigh. "Very well. I am proud of the both of you for solving the mystery, but are you sure that keeping her here is wise?"

Neptune looked over her shoulder and saw Lacoste running around the room. Ever since they brought her to Planeptune, and especially inside Planeptower, she's been acting like an overexcited kid having a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity inside Santa's workshop. It was pretty expected, Neptune thought. Planeptune is, of course, the awesomest place in all of Gamindustri.

"Chillaaax, Histy. We need to know more about the ship, who she is, and where she came from, right? Besides, it's not like it's some big mystery anymore, anyway. She was on a grand adventure and just so happens to end up in Gamindustri. Oh, but since she's here…"

Neptune grabbed the nearest gamepad. Nepgear followed suit by grabbing the second controller and jumping on the couch behind Neptune.

"Hey, Lacoste," Nepgear called, "do you want to play a game?"

Neptune waved her controller in the air. "I call first player. What games do you play? Fighters? RPGs? Shmups?"

Lacoste removed her flattened face from the balcony window. "Games? You play video games here?"

"Who _doesn't_ play video games? Now come sit your little hiney down here and pick up a pad, 'cuz we're goin' on an…" Neptune and Nepgear shouted out, " _ADVENTURE!_ "

Lacoste stared at them for a second before her face lit up. "Adventure!"

"Put your seatbelt on and your strategy guides in front for we are now initiating the ultimate adventure by playing a co-op campaign of—" Neptune grabbed her chest and threw herself forward, hand on her mouth as if trying to hurl all her intestines out.

Nepgear buried her head in the armrest of the couch, crying in pain. Histoire slowly descended, holding her head while trying not to fall unconscious off of her book.

Before Histoire reached the floor, Lacoste held her in her hands. "Neptune? N-Nepgear?" She reaches over for Nepgear and touched her head, pulling her hand back the moment Nepgear let out an agonizing scream.

"M-My head…! It… it feels like… it's being crushed…!"

"My insides… _hrk!_ " Lacoste rushed toward Neptune and rubbed her back, but then Neptune fell flat on the floor as if an invisible object weighing a hundred pounds was dropped on top of her.

"W-what's going on!?" Lacoste panicked. She darted back and forth between Neptune and Nepgear while taking short glances at Histoire. She tried putting her brain on overdrive only to get shocked by the constant cries of pain. It was starting to hurt her more knowing that all she could really do is sit there and stare. She was about to scream her lungs out and run out the building.

The air went silent. Then heavy panting filled the room. Neptune managed to find the strength to get on her hands and knees with only slight wobbling. Nepgear rolled onto her back and whined, barely able to open her eyes. Even Histoire finally managed to come through. Lacoste was breaking out in a massive sweat and knew the other girls were just sweaty as she was; the palm of her hands were getting wet.

Nepgear was the first to speak. "N-Neptune… I'm… I'm scared…"

Neptune responded with a coughing fit. "Don't worry… Nepgear… I think it's over…" She slowly turned around and, as if gravity multiplied by a hundred was pressing on her back, pushed herself up onto her knees. "T-Tadaaa…" She fell on her side.

Histoire motion Lacoste to put her down on her book. "I hope everyone is feeling well," she said, but she knew everyone was completely out of it.

"I'm really sorry." Lacoste was about to break into tears. "I couldn't do anything. I had no idea what was going on."

"Now, now. It is not your fault. What had just occurred was a strange and sudden phenomenon. Even I, the nation's Oracle, am completely and utterly dumbfounded."

Nepgear sat up and rested against the arm rest. "What… What if that happens again? What's going on?"

"I am not sure. It truly is a scary thought, but let's not dwell on it any further. I will research and see if I could find any instances of such a thing happening in the past. Hopefully, I'll be able to find a reason and a solution. In the meantime, Lacoste, do you mind heading to the kitchen? There should be a tray of cakes and tea ready to be served."

"O-oh, uh…" Lacoste saw the back of Neptune's head raise up and her ears twitch. She then looked at Nepgear and was greeted with a smile. "S-sure, if you're all okay for now. Be right back."

After a bit of hesitation, Lacoste left the room. Once Lacoste was clearly away, Histoire floated near Neptune and Nepgear. "Are you two aware of what you just felt?"

"Not really," Neptune said as she grabbed the front of her parka. "I mean, not in that way, I guess, but was it… share energy?"

Nepgear nodded. "I believe so, but it was so… so powerful. Goodness, like it was physically trying to harm us. How is that possible?"

Histoire placed a finger on her chin and thought about it. "I am not sure, but it was a very massive, yet passive exposure. It is less likely the share energy we felt was actively trying to overpower us, but more so that _we_ were just too weak in the presence of this kind of share energy."

"No way, Histy. Us? _Weak?_ I'm the main character after all. The protagonist of _all_ protagonists and you two are the closest to that very protagonist. Besides, Nepgear and I are CPUs and you're the Oracle. How can share energy overpower _us_?"

"That does make sense… unless…"

The sounds of footsteps came closer and the three turned their heads to the source. Lacoste came in with a tray containing a plate of sweet cakes and a teapot with three cups. Lacoste took a whiff and said, "Wow, it smells amazing."

"Oh, let me help you with that." Nepgear got up from her seat with slight difficult, but was okay with taking the tray off Lacoste's hands.

"I'm probably getting a bit annoying asking again, but… are all of you okay?"

Histoire floated up to eye-level with Lacoste. "We are fine for now, thank you. But most importantly, Lacoste, I have a question for you."

"Sure, hit me."

"Very well. I would like you to confirm whether or not you are a CPU."

The very end of the question made Nepgear skip a beat, almost dropping the tray. The utter shock even made Neptune get up onto her feet, or at least until she fell back onto the couch, to question Histoire's wild question.

"Woah, woah, woah. Hold on there, Histy. A CPU? There is no way Lacoste is a CPU. Nepgear and I would have known a long time ago. …Right?"

All three stared at Lacoste and awaited for the ultimate answer.

Lacoste simply shook her head.

It felt like a huge burden was lifted off Neptune's shoulders. "Whew, see Histy? She's not a CPU afterall—"

"I'm retired."

Lacoste separated the front of her poncho to reveal a necklace with a large circular emblem taking up a third of her chest. Within the circle was a triangle and four horizontal bars of a darker shade stretched across the medal.

As Neptune, Nepgear, and Histoire looked at the emblem, the similar pressure they felt a few minutes ago slowly returned, but they tried their damndest to resist.

Neptune muttered, but failed to let out her words. "W-wh—…"

"Why are you doing this?" Histoire said. "For what reason—…"

Lacoste smiled. A sweet, lovable smile if you asked her, but what Histoire and the two Planeptune sisters saw sent jolts through their spines.

"Let's go on an adventure."


	2. Nep's Quest

**Part 5**

_Neptune, wake up. Neptune? Hey, Neptune?_

Her eyes opened to see nothing but a blurry figure. She rubbed her eyes and yawned as she sat up to see Nepgear sitting next to her. "Where are we…?" She looked at her surroundings and saw nothing but the blue sky behind the calming blue sea. She made a fist and noticed the grains of sand seeping between her fingers. "Okay, but really, where are we and how did we get here?"

"I'm not sure. Histoire and I looked all over and… well, there isn't much to look for."

They were stranded on a small, deserted island. A _very_ small island. Only a few trees and large piles of rocks, one could walk around the entire island in a mere couple minutes. How they got here was totally lost to them, but it shouldn't be difficult to at least get off of this island. At least, as CPUs, that's what they thought.

"I can't transform," Neptune said.

"Histoire said there is absolutely no share energy. In fact, there may actually be no share energy whatsoever in this… 'world'."

"Oh, geez, are we in some sort of different dimension? Again?" Neptune laid down on her back with her arms behind her head. "I knew I shouldn't have kept my hopes up for this amateur author. Still, the last thing I remember was Costie playing a little tune and all of a sudden everything went… WAM."

Nepgear nodded and placed a finger on her chin. "Give me a sec. Let me see if I can at least find a signal."

"You do that," Neptune said the moment she heard her stomach growl. "I'm so hungry, I don't think this island can hold half the food I want to eat. Uff!"

A coconut had fallen from the sky and landed smack dab onto Neptune's groin.

"I am so sorry," Histoire came floating down from above in a panic. "I knew we needed some food and I found us a coconut."

Neptune laid on her side in the fetal position, twitching in pain while holding the coconut out in front of her. "The face on this little guy is making fun of me. Nep Jr., search up ways to torture this disgusting mutated seed so I can have myself a treat. Oh, oh, how about a cocktail?"

Expecting Nepgear's uplifting and cheerful voice, she received only silence.

"Nep Jr.?"

She looked up to see what has gotten Nepgear so occupied. Perhaps she found something interesting online? However, she wasn't looking at her PDA at all. She was staring — no, boring deep into the ground with her cold, empty eyes.

"Neptune…" Her voice indicated that her very soul was slowly drifting away.

"Uh, hey kid, what's the matter?"

"My… PDA…"

Neptune stared at her motionless sister for a moment before letting her eyes traveling downward to her right thigh. She gently lifted the hem of Nepgear's dress and revealed the strap that would normally hold her PDA, but it was empty.

Neptune sucked in a large amount of air and casually let out a single word.

"Shoot."

Nepgear was having a technology withdrawal. Her pupils empty of any life and a grin spread across her face. She wrapped her arms around her torso and started to shake like she was freezing in the middle of a frozen tundra. Does laughing like a mad scientist constitute as having a withdrawal?

"Neptune, don't you know how to get Nepgear to calm down?"

"Oh, yeah, sure, hold up. So, Doctor Neptonium Jr., what's on the menu for today?"

Neptune nodded her head to whatever scientific quantum gibberish Nepgear was spouting out. "Wowzers. Coolio. Awesome-rific. What the NepuNowa. Smashing."

After Nepgear finished, she stood up and headed off on her own towards a random direction.

Histoire looked more confused than ever. "What did she say?"

"No idea. The author didn't bother putting in Nep Jr.'s dialogue. Probably not a sci-fi junky."

As hours passed by, Neptune woke up from her nap to the view of Nepgear standing over her holding a bunch of random stuff in her arms.

"Whatcha gonna do with all that junk, Nep Jr.?"

Nepgear used all the scientific theories in the world to come up with a logical conclusion that a tree branch, a strand of seaweed, and a seashell would be the perfect combination for the ultimate invention. She held them together in her hands and they, somehow, became a makeshift fishing rod.

Even Neptune couldn't even believe it, although she did force a smile in hopes that perhaps her brain would catch up to what just happen.

A fishing rod.

A regular ol' fishing rod.

A fishing rod.

What the heck?

The idea to catch fish caused a tremor inside Neptune's stomach. Nepgear casted the fishing rod and waited patiently until something started to bite. She reeled it in only to catch useless objects.

"Aw, that's okay, kiddo. Fishing just takes luck and patience."

After what seemed like hours, Nepgear had caught absolutely nothing but a couple of junk. Save for a nifty looking magnet and a functioning slingshot Neptune decided to keep for herself for some reason. Other than that, everything else was useless.

Useless, as in, objects that couldn't be put into Neptune's stomach. That is, without Nepgear's assistance, of course.

Nepgear loved her big sister dearly and she would go to the ends of the universe to make her big sister happy. Anything. Even if she had to force everything she had caught inside Neptune one way or another. To prove her love, she took a step toward Neptune while carrying her spoils.

"Hey, uh, Junior?" Neptune took a step back. "You all righty there, kiddo?"

Nepgear stepped closer. Neptune stepped back more. Nepgear followed.

Histoire floated in front of Nepgear's face, but Nepgear walked past her unfazed by her presence.

"Nepgear, please snap out of it. This is unlike you."

"Neptune is my big sister," Nepgear said in a robotic tone. "I must make her happy by feeding Neptune her favorite snack."

Neptune backed up against a large rock. She readied herself to dash to the right, but Nepgear sidestepped the same direction. She stepped to the left, but Nepgear read her movements.

"I'm no chef, but I'm preeetty sure you can't make pudding out of that. Y-you don't plan on cooking something with all that, do you?"

With nothing but a wide smile across her face, Nepgear shook her head. The items she held in her hand started to glow and those items disappeared only to be replaced by a pickaxe.

"Oh, you have _got_ to be _Nepping_ me."

Nepgear raised the pickaxe above the her head and swung the pickaxe with all her might. Neptune dove to the side and the pickaxe struck the large rock behind her, forming many cracks on its surface. The crevices became larger and larger until the face of the rock broke down completely.

"W-woah, Nep Jr., you're much stronger than I thought."

Histoire flew by the two sisters and inspected the remains of the large rock. "Neptune, look what's inside of it."

Neptune raised her arms and formed an "X" with her hands. "Time out, time out." She carefully headed over to where Histy was without taking her eyes off Nepgear who was creeping ever so slowly towards her. "It better be something that would snap my baby sister out of it, Histy."

"There's a rubik's cube inside."

"Huh? A rubik's cube?"

The rock was hollower than Neptune thought. With one side of the rock demolished, a rubik's cube the size of Histoire sat on top of a stack of stone slabs in the middle. Histoire picked up the rubik's cube from its resting spot and, after a few moments, the ground started to shake and the sands beneath their feet gave way and Neptune and Nepgear fell within the abyss underneath with Histoire chasing after them.

**Part 6**

Neptune leaned back against the metal bars with her arms behind her head. "You know, I know my games get pretty random and chaotic and such, but that's the beauty of them. This, see, _this_ , I'm not sure what's going on anymore, but I'm just going along with it."

The red, craggy interior outside climbed up their view as the metal cage containing Neptune, Nepgear, and Histoire descended what Neptune can only describe as "the inside of a volcano".

"Ah, there's nothing like the hot winds of Hell blowing in your face. Are we at the final boss already?"

"Neptune, I know you're having fun despite our current predicament and that's what I expect from you by now," Histoire said, wiping the sweat off her forehead, "but don't you think it would be best to show at least a _little_ concern?"

Neptune unzipped her parka past her waist and wiped the palm of her hand from the back of her neck to down her chest, shaking her hand drenched from sweat. "You're probably right, but what can we do?"

She tilted her head to the side to get a better look at Histy. Well, she wanted to look at Histy, but all she could really see was a block of a number of various colors sitting on top of a floating book. "Having fun there?"

"Not exactly," Histoire said as she struggled to keep afloat under the weight of the rubik's cube. "However, I have come to the conclusion that this may have something to do with it."

"That thing, huh? Well, I'm stumped. I mean, let's be real, it's just a toy. It's not like it's connected to this cage or anything and I don't need Nepgear's gadget-know-how to know that. A-and even if that were the case, w-well…"

Nepgear clung on to Neptune's waist, one arm wrapped around her leg and her other hand inside her unzipped parka, rubbing every inch of Neptune's flat stomach. Her face smothered against Neptune's hips while muttering her love and dedication towards her older sister.

"…Besiiiides, it's here now. Sure, because of your knack of touching the belongings of ancient booby traps set up by possible long time dwelling goddesses of the bygone past, you taking the rubick's cube set off a doozy of a juvenile trap. I remember this one time while me and Nepgear were playing on our console, you just came in and pulled the plug right out from the wall socket. Like, what's up with that? Seriously, Histy, you need to learn some manners."

A blood vessel — probably more than three — broke inside Histoire. She was actually contemplating to throw that rubik's cube at Neptune's head and fly away, leaving her here for good. Of course, that would be uncharacteristic for an Oracle and guardian of Planeptune's CPU. More importantly, she couldn't carry Nepgear.

"If you have any ideas to free _yourself_ ," Histoire said, on the edge of her sanity, "please, don't hesitate to voice your opinion."

Neptune looked around her surroundings. Nothing but red rock, fire, smoke, and the pool of lava down below inching closer and closer. "We're stuck pretty good— oh wait, look." She stuck her arm between the metal bars and pointed towards an opening on the wall. "Looks like a passageway, but how in the heck do we make it all the way over there?"

"Neptune, I know this may sound illogical, but are you sure this here cube lacks any use in this situation?"

Neptune held the rubik's cube in her hand and inspected all six sides and even twisted some of the edges from their place. "I do know that your grubby fingers couldn't stay still and taking this is what got us here in the first place. It's still incomplete, but… you think solving this thing will stop the cage?"

"It's a stretch, but it's the only solution I could think of at this time and I do not believe we have enough time to think of any more ideas."

And she was right — about one of their problems. Any more wasted minutes and they will soon submerged under hot lava. Do you submerge under lava, or does your flesh disintegrate into ashes the moment it touches the surface? Who knows, but once they find out, will scientists, researchers, and other people of importance in the field of advancing human life look back at these three Planeptune officials as the same tier as one-moon-on-the-man-of-leapkind or, uh, something of the sort? Sure, it's pretty hot, but Neptune was pretty occupied holding one arm out to keep space between her and Nepgear before Neptune started getting desperate to find out what in the world her little sister was trying to feel up.

Then again, that's probably an excellent idea.

"Oh, little ol' sister of mine."

Nepgear's empty eyes, which have lost a _lot_ of their shimmer and liveliness than Neptune had thought; she kinda wanted to see Uni's reaction if she saw Nepgear in this state, widen at the words in Neptune's voice calling for her. "Yes, yes, yes big sister?"

"Dear junior, do you mind solving this puzzle cube thing for me? Pretty please?"

A favor. An assistance. An opportunity to please her one and only older sister. This was her moment to shine and receive Neptune's unconditional love and attention.

Neptune handed her over the children's toy and Nepgear held it in her hands with a delicate touch as if it were the holy grail. The smooth edges of each individual cube. The slippery texture of the colored stickers on each individual cube. The crevices on the six sides creating a three-by-three pattern by each individual cube. She focused all her mental capacity towards the toy in her hand until it was as if her very soul had left the world leaving behind only a shell of her cold, lifeless body, standing still like a statue, eyes empty like the void.

"Yoo-hoo~" Neptune waved her hand in front of Nepgear's face. "You there? Huh. Looks like my little sister has jumped off the deep end. Drats, that was really my one and only idea, too—"

"Done." Nepgear now held a completed rubik's cube.

"Wow, that was fast. But wait a good darn minute… We're still going down."

The cage didn't even slow as it descended even further. Lava bubbles popped and splattered onto the base of the cage, melting pieces of it off bit by bit until there was no more room to stand. Histoire may have been fine, floating on top of her book and all, but the Planeptune sisters were hanging on to the top of the cage with their arms and legs like monkeys. Well, Neptune was. Nepgear was holding on to Neptune's back.

"I don't get it," Neptune cried. "We solved the puzzle. Why won't this darn ride stoooop?"

"Did I do good, Neptune? I solved it for you. Are you proud of me?"

"I-I'm very… very proud of you, Nep Jr. But I… I don't think this is… the time…"

History pointed out something outside of their cage. "Look, Neptune, over there."

Behind a curtain of smoke, Neptune spotted a red button. "I'd crack a little joke about such a convenient plot device in the middle of a crucial, life-threatening situation, but…" She reached for her shoe and threw it hard enough for it to reach the button and press it.

The cage stopped.

"Neptune, you did it!"

"Oh yeah, best main character evah—"

The cage lowered at an even faster speed.

"What what what whaaaat!? We're gonna die!"

Nepgear held the rubik's cube up near Neptune's face. "Look, big sis, see how pretty it is now that it's completed?"

"N-Nepgear, we don't have time for that…! I'm… We're… I don't wanna die!"

Neptune smacked the rubik's cube out of Nepgear's hand. It fell into the lava beneath them, submerging into the thick substance halfway before fully disintegrating.

The cage then stopped.

There was no movement.

Even after a few more seconds, everything was still.

Until the cage slowly rose and the lava bed below was getting further and further away. Neptune's arms probably grew five times their size as she hung on for dear life. The hallway opening came into view and the cage finally stopped. They were about a bit higher than the height an Olympian diver would jump off the board. A platform from underneath the opening extended outward and under the cage, providing a place for the girls to stand. Neptune let go and she and Nepgear landed on top of the out-of-place futuristic flooring.

Her arms were numb and heavy. Her heart was pumping blood faster than a human body would be capable of doing so. Good thing she's a goddess, or else she'd die from shock.

That being said, there was no time. Neptune wanted to get the hell out and forget all about this part of the adventure.

**Part 7**

"Hey, Histy, you think the author had one of those little 'writer's blocks' you keep on talking about?" Neptune walked ahead of the two down a dungeon hallway with her arms behind her head. "You know, it wasn't _that_ bad, actually. It was pretty fun. Got my heart _pounding_. Think there's a hard mode?"

"Are you really feeling okay, Neptune?"

"Of course I am. Never felt better. C'mon, let's catch up with Costie and bust this joint."

"Hm… I never knew you were having so much fun until now. After what just happened, I'd have thought to finally see Neptune I know to break down and start taking things more seriously from now on, but instead, you've taken it all in stride and found some fun in it. I don't know whether to be disappointed, or happy to see your resolve in tact. Of course, it's been awhile since we've had any free time outside of the Basilicom, so maybe adventuring even further would be—"

Neptune punched the wall right next to her, almost shattering it into pieces, leaving fractures and an imprint of her fist. "Now, now, Histy. We can't spend _too_ much time having fun."

Histoire gulped. "I understand the frustration… but haven't you ever stopped and wondered where we are or why we are here ever since we ended up on a strange island?"

"Nope. Nada. You know why? Because this is aaall a game."

Neptune's tendency to slack off and think nothing about video games isn't lost on Histoire. Not at all… but really? It was nothing but nonsense in her ear. Maybe all this time Neptune falls back into her lazy ways as her survival mechanic? It would make sense, at least, if one would try to make sense of how Neptune's brain worked.

"Why are you looking at me with such pity?" Neptune said. "Listen, this is all just a game. Like, a big virtual reality game where everything is real, but not really."

"I understand the whole concept of virtual reality, but I'm not sure how something like this could be considered virtual reality. Everything is… real."

"I didn't say this truly is virtual reality. I'm not sure where we are or how we got here, I admit, but I can only guess that's the only connection I can think of and I'm _assuming_ the author is creative enough not to pull off another 'stuck in a different dimension' trope."

Histoire shrugged with a sigh. "Very well. I have no choice but to go with your tuition for now. I do, however, have some sort of nostalgic feeling deep inside my internal memory unit. Strange, it is very faint. Anyway, there is still one problem we must resolve before continuing on with this… hm… 'quest'?"

Neptune looked behind them. Behind the shroud of blackness, faintly visible under the flickering of a nearby torch, was Nepgear. As soon as Neptune stopped walking, Nepgear paused as if on queue.

Histoire flew towards her. "Nepgear?"

"Jeez, is she still in her 'broken mode'? All righty…" Neptune walked towards Nepgear, but the moment Nepgear noticed her getting closer, she quickly backed off. "Hold it right there, kiddo."

"N-No… I-I'm sorry… Please, don't scold me…"

"Now, am I the kind of person who would scold her little sister? Tell your big sister what's the matter, huh?"

Nepgear twiddled her fingers as she averted her gaze. "You… You haven't been paying attention to me lately… No matter how much I tried…"

"Aw, is that all? Listen, you know I love you. You're my little sister, after all. I love you so much. I love _love_ you. In fact, I can say that I'm _in_ love with— yow!" Histoire pinched Neptune's thigh. "I love you, yeah, because you're my sister and nothing will ever change that."

Nepgear held one of her hands in the other. "Well… You did hurt me back there…"

"That? Oh, that was just part of the story, silly. I was just in character. You know that stuff. Action. Reaction. The climax was upon us and the protagonist had to do what it takes to make the reader invested. Nothing's going to tear us apart. You got that?"

Nepgear glanced at Neptune a couple times before looking at her straight in the eye. "Do you promise?"

"Stab me with a noodle or I'll eat a wet needle. I'll even get Histy to buy you all the new tech gear you desire to replace the one you just lost."

Sweat dripped from Histoire's forehead. "I'll compensate for any lost possessions, but I think promising more than—"

"It's a deal," Nepgear said. Just like that she was back to normal.

"W-wait, Nepgear, I'm so glad you're—"

"Woohoo! My little Nep came back to me! Get over here and make love to me!"

"N-neptune…!"

They continued going down the linear hallway until the path split in two directions, encircling a much larger room in the middle separated by a ring of metal bars.

There was also a lone barrel filled to the brim with gunpowder.

As they looked to check what was on the other side, they realized they were on a much higher level than the room in the middle, probably two or three floors higher.

Histoire had just finished circling around for a better angle and came up with the conclusion that it was some sort of throne room. A very purple throne room. A large beanbag chair, a large King size bed, a collection of mini robot figures, and stacks of Nep-pudding cups left on top of a desk. At the wall further from them was a purple throne with golden embroidery. It was fit for a queen.

"Wow." Neptune was impressed. "Whoever's room this belongs to must be some hotshot."

"Um, Neptune, I think… I think this is our room."

"Huh, that explains the bunch of kid's toys and the excellent taste in exquisite cuisines."

"But if this really is our room, then why is it here and how is it connected to this place? Wait, did you just call my collection a bunch of kid's toys?"

The sound of a doorknob was heard and then the clack of a door closing. They looked down from where they were standing, unable to see the door from their angle, but soon after the door closed, a girl with long, off-white hair walked by.

"Neptune, look, it's Lacoste," Nepgear said.

Neptune grabbed the metal bars and tried to shake them as she called out Lacoste's name, but Lacoste continued walking around the room surveying the area. She was speaking some typical mumbo jumbo scheme a villain would blabber on and on about. Or something like that. Neptune wasn't really all that interested to pay any more attention and just wanted Lacoste to look up.

Lacoste pointed her staff at the stacks of pudding. "And none will have to torture themselves with the devil's fruit no longer." A series of lights flashed from her staff and the cups of pudding scattered in different directions.

In Neptune's eyes, the whole moment lasted for decades. The fudgey gelatin stretched and spun as it flew across the air, splattering all over the walls, floor, and Nepgear's collection.

"Noooooooooo!" Neptune and Nepgear screamed forcing Histoire to cover her ears.

"That's it, I'm about to head in there and show Costie that such treason will cost her her own life."

Neptune pulled out her coconut and magnet from… her inventory.

"What are you planning with those items?" Histoire tilted her head.

She inserted the magnet's prongs into two of the Coconut's eye sockets. "If the workings of this game doesn't respect the mechanics of video game item crafting, then two can play it that way." Neptune then buried the coconut-magnet hybrid inside the barrel of gunpowder.

"Wait, sis, don't tell me you're…!"

But it was too late. Neptune had already grabbed a torch from the wall and tossed it in the barrel.

**Part 8**

There was a loud explosion and a burst of flames appeared above Lacoste. Bits of rubble and metal shrapnel landed around her while black smoke filled the air. As the air dissipated, she heard sounds of flapping and a " _hiyah!_ " and once she was able to look in front of her, Neptune and Nepgear stood to confront her.

"We got you now, Costie!"

Lacoste grinned. "It took you awhile." She waved her staff and musical notes filled the room as if sounds were being released directly from the elegant movement of her weapon. The dirty air was then purified from the dust and smoke, the fires scattered away, and there was suddenly a regular ceiling over their heads.

Nepgear stepped forward. "Lacoste, please, you have to stop this."

"Enough is enough," Histoire chimed in. "Let's end this game at once."

"I'm afraid I can't allow the adventure to end yet." Lacoste said in a monotone voice, slowly raising her arms to her side. "And we are home, Nepgear. _My_ home."

"And that's why we want to go home now," Nepgear cried.

"Aww, but the game's just about to start."

"See, I was starting to get used to this place and all," Neptune said, "but so much stuff has happened that I don't know what has happened or if it's happening or if it happened at all. In fact, everything that has happened so far has been so ridiculous that my mind can't take it anymore. And Gamindustri is pretty lenient when it comes to ridiculousness even for a CPU."

"Fufufu~ Were my puzzles too difficult of an obstacle for the simple-minded? Reach forward thine hand, mortal, so I may devour it. It has been centuries since I last ate."

"'Fufufu'? Did you really just say that? Really? Talk about simple-minded. You're not even that intimidating of a villain, nevermind a boss. It's like you're in the middle of an amateur LARPing session."

"W-words will do nothing to hurt my resolve, you fool. You are powerless in my domain, so fall to your knees and beg for mercy."

Neptune rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Nothing's gonna put you out of it, huh? You're out of your mind for calling this a 'game'." She walked towards Lacoste while rolling up the sleeve of her parka.

"F-fool, what are y-you planning? If you'd just l-listen—"

"If you gotta do things, you gotta do them right." Neptune pulled her arm back and swung.

_SMACK._

The sound echoed throughout the room which made even Nepgear and Histoire's spine shiver. A red mark appeared on Lacoste's cheek, a similar color that was now on Neptune's palm.

Lacoste held her hand on the mark and felt the heat piercing through the skin of her fingers. Her royal-pain-in-the-ass attitude was no more. She simply stared into Neptune's eyes lost and confused, almost as if she had just woken up and has no idea what was going on or what just happened.

Nepgear crept up behind Neptune and held onto her shoulders. "Sis, I think you may been done it a bit too much…"

"I must agree with Nepgear," Histoire said. "Was it necessary to hit her?"

"If you gotta snap a loony chick out of the loop, you gotta do it right. A good smack is always a reliable solution."

Lacoste would snap out of her delusion and think about how her actions had made things difficult for the others. She would realize her mistakes, contemplate her actions, ask for forgiveness, and everything will be hunky-dory. Simple. Easy as that. Nothing overly-complicated and things will be resolved without any trouble whatsoever.

Things were looking great.

Until Lacoste let out a hiccup.

Tears streamed down her face as she crumbled to her knees, holding tightly onto her distaff, hiding her face behind the bulbous section at the top. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

On the floor, bawling her eyes out, apologizing until her lungs burned and she choked on her own tears. Lacoste had become a wreck of a girl and Neptune stood there taken aback. Was she too harsh? This wasn't the outcome she had expected. She figured the story was going to come to a typical "break the opponent down with epic speech about morals" route, show them that what they did was wrong, and bring them over to the light. A boss fight would have also been a safe and obvious bet.

But this? Neptune felt like the villain in this story.

She took a step forward and paused. She took another step and reached her hand out. "Hey, now. I, uh, didn't mean to be so hard on ya. I thought you were going to put up more of a resistance is all."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

"We hear ya—"

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!"

"H-hold on there, stop apologizing, okay? I'm starting to feel like I'm in the wrong here."

Histoire floated next to Lacoste and brushed away her bangs that were sticking to her face from the tears. "What Neptune means is we fully accept your apology, but we would like you to answer just one question. Why did you do this?"

"Because," she hiccuped as more tears welled, "I was hurting you a-and… and I didn't mean to but… but… so, I just played it off as some game, because… that's what you wanted to do, right? Play a game? I didn't want you to hate me… I didn't mean to put you all in pain, I just… I just… I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…!"

Neptune, the cheerful and energetic girl that makes light of even the darkest of situations, was lost for words. The girl who was on her knees, sobbing her heart out, was completely destroying the most fundamental aspect of Neptune's personality; the reason Neptune as the main character is a character at all.

Forget the boss battle. This is more like a _final_ boss battle.

The fans probably won't like this type of character development.

How controversial.

Neptune and Nepgear glanced at each other for a moment before Nepgear said to Lacoste, "We're not mad at you. We would _never_ hate one of our friends. You're our friend, and as friends, don't you think friends should learn more about each other?"

"Each… other…?"

"Mhm," Nepgear nodded. "For one, about you and where you came from. Oh, I'm probably getting a bit too ahead of myself, aren't I? What's really boggling my mind right now is why… or _what_ was happening to the three of us back at Planeptower? It was scary… and painful… but we're fine now. We just want to know if you know anything about it?"

Lacoste looked at Nepgear's eyes. As pure and open as they were, just looking at them made Lacoste calm down. She looked at the ground and stayed silent for a moment before finally speaking. "What happened back then was due to the immense pressure of share energy being placed on you guys. You're all fine now, because in this world there is no share energy. I made sure of it."

"'No share energy'?" Nepgear repeated, awe-struck. However, that was something they already knew due to the lack of being able to transform. What really struck all three of them was when she said she "made sure of it".

"With this distaff, I can channel my own share energy to… well, do whatever I want. It's a hobby, but I like creating my own worlds based on different types of genres from fantasy to scifi to western to pretty much anything, really. I can do whatever I want with them, but I mostly act out my own adventures inside of them. I can even make them like actual video games and play in them like a real-world RPG."

"Woah, really?" Neptune's jaw was nearly hitting the floor. "So, you're pretty much 'weaving the threads of reality', like, literally. Wow, the summary was a lot less cryptic than I thought."

"The puzzles and item combinations were very game-like as well. Um, extremely nonsensical aside…"

Lacoste giggled. "Well, you see… It's not like _all_ the games I make are like that. I can make serious ones, too, like action and whatnot. It's just that… those types of worlds are a guilty pleasure of mine. It's fun thinking of wicked and crazy items using the most random components and using them in the most complicated puzzles with the most messed up red herrings. When I met you two, I thought you'd appreciate having to use your, you know, imagination and all… Well, my old friends weren't very keen with those types of games, either… I guess that's why I never got to lead anything… and I guess that's why they… they…"

Something was tugging Lacoste's heart from inside and her tears had returned to flood her eyes. She was about to burst out once more, until Neptune reached out her hand in front of Lacoste's face. Lacoste looked at her hand with her blurry eyes and then up at Neptune.

"We're your friends," Neptune said in the most reassuring voice. "But just because we're friends, doesn't mean I don't get offended. You think we're too incompetent to use our imagination. How dare ye, scoundrel."

"Neptune…"

Nepgear jumped in between them and wrapped her arms around Lacoste's shoulder. "Neptune and I use our imagination all the time. That's what makes playing with games with friends so all the times more fun, right?"

"Well, maybe not Boresty. She has no imaginaton at all."

"Would you mind not talking down to me?" Histoire said as her eyebrow twitched.

"I really don't have a choice… So, how about next time, we play in something more, you know, standard?"

Lacoste looked back and forth between the faces of Neptune, Nepgear, and Histoire. Their smiles were already starting to touch something deep down inside her and she couldn't help but break a smile herself, laughing along the Planeptune girls. Finally, after a moment of thinking to herself, she held Neptune's hand and pulled herself up.

"That being said," Neptune continued, "I'm really, _really_ sorry for hitting you."

"No, I… I deserved it. When we get back, I'll make sure not to hurt you anymore. I'm—"

"Stop. You've said it so many times they'll just carry over in the future. But anyway, you _are_ the final boss here, right? So, how's this supposed to end?"

**Part 9**

Dangling off the highest point of the Planeptower, Lacoste clutched onto the hem of Neptune's parka while Neptune held Nepgear's hand and Histoire had a grip on one of Nepgear's ankles.

"I won't let it end here…!" Lacoste used all her strength to slowly pull herself up.

"W-wait wait wait," Neptune shouted. "You're pulling down my clothes, you're pulling down my cloooothes."

"I don't… care… I… must… get… up… uwah!?"

An object smacked Lacoste right in the face, releasing her grip and causing her to fall straight down.

"N-Neptune…!" With the lack of weight of a second body, Nepgear was able to pull Neptune up slightly while keeping her own dress between her legs with her other hand. "What the goodness, what happened?"

"My… uh… Well, I never really got the chance to use that slingshot, but… Nevermind, just pull me up _really_ slowly, okay? My parka is about to fall off."

"I… can't… My arms are about to fall off… Histoire, puuull."

Neptune was raised a couple inches higher before her parka fell down to her elbows. "Wait a minute, Nep Jr., be delicate, please…!"

"As long as you're safe, sis, it's okay," Nepgear said as her eyes were like lasers piercing through Neptune's body.

"I don't know why I feel like more weight is being placed on me the more you pull me up, but I can't hold on…!"

"Sis, you got to," Nepgear cried desperately.

"The fanservice, Nepgear, the fanserviiice!"

"Neptuuuuune!"

Just as her parka was about to slip completely off of her body, she let her grip slip from Nepgear's hand and dropped through the air like a boulder. "Well, I guess that's it for me, huh? It was a good life. I made a new friend, I've helped realize my baby sister's sis-con fetish, and I've also kept my body pure and vanilla for the fans. Well, for me, mostly, not the fans, but, hey, they're good people."

After falling for what seemed like hours — it was a really tall tower — a thought suddenly came to Neptune. "Actually, if this story is in _text_ , then wouldn't it be hard to portray fanservice? I mean, there's erotica and other lewd writing, sure, but… the readers can't _see_ that stuff, so… Dangit."

The ground came closer and closer until nothing but the pavement below filled Neptune's view. The moment she hit the ground, everything became white and a ringing sound filled the air.

The white faded away and then came silence.

Nepgear looked over the couch and watched as Neptune and Lacoste were on the floor stacked on top of each other, exhausted and nearly knocked out.

She giggled as the two CPUs were groaning and panting, but then she looked at her surroundings and gasped. "How did we get here? Weren't we just on the rooftop? Unless… goodness, are we really back home?"

"It seems like it," Histoire said. "Thankfully, we're all safe and sound. I hope everyone has had their fill of fun for today. I am surely not used to such hectic adventures."

Nepgear giggled and was about to agree with her sentiments, but then her thigh started to vibrate. "Oh, someone's messaging me on my— my PDA! It's back! It's… Oh, it's a message from Uni."

"I assume Lastation has discovered something important regarding the ship?"

"Maybe. She says to come over immediately."

"We're visiting Noire?" Neptune sat up as soon as she heard, her head spinning. "All righty, we get to introduce her to our new friend."

Lacoste, still flatten on the ground by Neptune's bottom, raised her hand and let out a weak "Adventure…!" before letting it fall due to a lack of strength.

"Adventuuuuure…" Neptune said half-excitedly and then collapsed back on top of Lacoste only to lose herself in a deep sleep.


	3. Noire Fiction

**Part 10**

Lastation.

Motion detectors detected Neptune, Nepgear, and Lacoste halfway down the stairs leading to one of the main circles. They were greeted by arcs of water forming a brilliant rainbow over their heads.

Unable to contain her excitement, Lacoste jumped off the rest of the stairs and ran ahead and what she saw made her pause, mouth agape.

She looked at the people around her, the trees, the shops, the sky-high skyscrapers, and the enormous satellites. Before she knew it, she was spinning in circles until she was losing her balance.

"It's like I've gone back in time."

"What do you mean by that?" Neptune said as the Planeptune sisters caught up to her.

"I feel like I'm back home in my nation, but… Lastation looks… old. I'm feeling quite nostalgic, actually."

"Wow, ' _old_ '? I'm not sure if that's something you should be saying out loud. I don't to trigger an event where everyone suddenly stops and turns their heads one-eighty degrees."

"Lastation holds majority of the shares in Gamindustri. Lacoste, is your nation that far advanced compared to ours?"

"I never really noticed it while I was there, but yeah, I guess it really is pretty advanced compared to Lastation. Like, way more advanced. But, a nation with better technology or not doesn't really matter, right? I mean, all that counts is whether or not the nation can provide for its people, right?"

Nepgear nodded. "You're right. Although, the more you mention your city, the more I'd love to visit one day."

"Oh, yeah! I would love to show you guys around. Oh my gosh, that would be amazing. I know you'll love it and you'll never be able to—"

A group of school girls in red uniforms walked by. Their uniforms were very eye-catching and Lacoste couldn't help but watch them as they went on their way.

"Mm… Those uniforms are so cute. I wonder if I can suggest uniforms to our schools?"

"That's one of the more prestigious all-girl schools in Lastation," Nepgear said.

"It's little miss Black Heart's favourite school, after all."

"I-I wouldn't say it's her favourite…"

Neptune raised her arms behind her head. "Well, Costy? Want to snack on something before we head to the Basilicom?"

"We're gonna see more?" Lacoste's face lit up at just the thought of seeing the entirety of Lastation. "Let's go!"

Everywhere they went, Lacoste's head had been turning non-stop, taking in the views, the people, the atmosphere. Even as they wait in line for their crepes, Lacoste felt nothing but ecstatic exuberance. While part of that feeling is the feeling of exploring a new city, part of it was the nostalgia of visiting a home she haven't been to in years, and part was the fulfillment of some sort of fantasy. Lacoste could just explode right in the middle of the crowd from the joy she was keeping in right now.

"This city is amazi— uwah!"

Then as quick as a typhoon, a sea of school children entered the street market, many of them holding balloons obstructing everyone's vision. It was like rampaging bulls picking up a sandstorm.

After a while of trying to find her step and drag herself to freedom, she finally found herself out of the pit of children and in the outskirts of the street market. There weren't many options for her to go, unless she felt like forcing herself back inside the crowd, so instead she decided to enter the nearest alleyway.

Why she chose this alleyway in particular, she didn't know, but for some reason, there was a feeling of a vacuum coming from this area that seemed to suck her presence inside. It was different. The air made it feel like it was separated from the rest of the city. No, it was more like a separate plane of existence. The closed-in walls would have suffocated most people with claustrophobia, but before Lacoste realized it, she was relishing in the tense atmosphere and dove deeper into the maze.

It became harder to see the skies with the tall buildings in the way. There were also roofs made out of bolted scrap metal and man-made signs. Some with neon lights.

There were many shops lined up in these alleyways. She wondered whether most of the citizens even knew these shops existed. They ranged from repair shops, mechanic shops, even small diners. She continued to run past a ramen shop, politely excusing herself as she ran past an old lady sweeping the path.

After a while of running and turning, something had caught her eye. A robot. Not a particularly advanced robot. Not particularly well-kept. And not particularly working at all, but it was pretty cute even with all its rusty spots on its exterior. It had a boxy design with it's torso having a screen on front.

"What are you doing here, little guy?"

The door to the shop the robot was in front of swung wide open. From the door came out a girl with the familiar striking red-and-white school uniform. It was weird to find someone wearing something so cute out here in a shady alleyway, but before she could even greet her, Lacoste was struck by a menacing aura.

The eyes of the schoolgirl was filled with nothing but murderous intent. It was at that moment when their eyes met did Lacoste realized the assault rifle in her hands.

Lacoste was going to die.

The schoolgirl moved the gun behind her back. Once the gun disappeared into her inventory, the air that filled Lacoste's body with dread was lifted away and left behind in its place a sweet, adorable schoolgirl who splayed her fingers in front of her lips as she giggled.

"I'm sorry about that," she said. "Were you planning on shopping here?"

Lacoste blinked at the sudden change of personality. "I… Is that a gun store?"

"Why, yes it is. It's not all terrific of a shop, but sometimes these places have hidden gems. Are you interested in guns? You don't look like the kind of person to have that as a hobby."

Lacoste couldn't help but laugh nervously in her mind. If anyone's appearance contradiction their hobby, it was definitely the girl in front of her. "Nn… no, but I dabble. A little."

"You 'dabble'?"

"I guess you can say it found its way into my life and I had no choice but to pick up the reins?"

The school girl held a blank stare, thinking about what she meant by that.

"Well, I hope we can talk more about our hobbies in the future. I'll be on my way now. Goodbye."

"O-oh, see you soon."

And with that, the black haired girl walked down the shady alleyway until she disappeared around a corner. Lacoste continued staring down the now empty path and looked back at the gun shop in front of her.

"Why was I here again?"

She looked at her hands, opening and closing them. She then tried her best to pose as if she were holding and shooting a gun, but after a while she felt stiff and threw her arms out in frustration.

She shrugged with a sigh and remembered the cute robot at the corner of her eye. She petted it's cold, rusty head and gave her farewells and went down the path the girl went through, hoping to end up finding her way back to the main streets of Lastation.

Actually, she never actually got her name, did she?

Oh, well.

**Part 11**

"Costyyy!"

"Goodness, Lacoste, are you all right?"

After finding the path out of the back-alley maze, she heard Neptune and Nepgear's voice and saw them rushing over.

Lacoste stared in confusion until she realized the reason why they were panicking. "A-ah! I'm so sorry, I got lost so I decided to get away from the chaos."

Nepgear had a hand on her heart as she spoke with exhaustion in her voice. "We're just glad you're safe and sound. How lucky of us to find you near the basilicom, too?"

"Basilicom?"

Neptune held Lacoste's chin and turned her head towards the direction of a massive cathedral-like building.

"Oh, that basilicom."

"We also bought you a crepe."

"Sorry, we didn't know which flavor you prefer so we got you strawberry."

Neptune pouted her cheeks. "Planeptune needs to go on a collaboration business. We can't have other nations selling food without a pudding-flavor version of it."

Once the two Planeptune CPUs caught their breath, they happily ate their crepes and headed over to the Basilicom.

They also looked at all the sights along the way, but that took much longer than expected, because Lacoste couldn't help but lose herself in awe on every single little aspect of Lastation. The atmosphere, the aesthetics, the sounds, the people, the food. Neptune had to drag Lacoste away from everything until they finally made it to the basilicom.

Once they made it to the basilicom entrance, Neptune placed her hand on the surface of the large double doors. The doors creaked as they slowly swung open, allowing Neptune to stroll inside as if she were entering her own home.

There was more of an elegance to the lobby compared to Planeptune's basilicom. Crystalline chandeliers hang from the ceilings, marbled walls adorned with golden embroidery.

Whoever designed this basilicom truly had an exquisite taste for living, Lacoste thought.

"Yoohoo~" A voice echoed throughout the chamber.

Ahead of them was an older girl with purple hair strikingly similar to Neptune's.

"Heeeey, little ones of Planeptune," the taller familiar-looking woman said.

"Oh, well waddayaknow, it's big me."

"Hey there, little me, what brings you to the wonderful world of Lastation?" Her eyes turned to Lacoste which made the young girl stiffen and her face red. "Who's this? Another one of your friends?"

Neptune wrapped her arm over Lacoste's chest. "Yup, she's Lacoste. She's the girl that's behind all the commotion going on."

"Ooooh, you mean the ship? I had a little peek of it. Well, not much of a peek. I was just on my way to here when I saw the huge thing from a mile away. It's huge, like, super huge, like, you can not unsee it huge. It's big."

While the older woman splayed her arms in effort to show the girls how huge the object in question was, Lacoste whispered into Neptune's ear. "Is she… your older sister?"

"Whaaaaat?" Neptune clearly didn't respect the privacy Lacoste had hoped for. "That would be totally totes, but 'err!', wrong. She's, in fact, me."

"You…?"

"Bingo~" The older one cheered. "But not from here. I'm from a different dimension from this one. I like this place, though. Much more lively. I think. I actually haven't visited my old place in awhile so I don't really know."

"So, feast your eyes on the older me, the big me, the still so sweet and sexy me; Neptuuuune~ I know it must be difficult to wrap your head around this, but you don't have to think too much about it—"

"You're frickin' hot," Lacoste blurted out.

Neptune gasped. "Oh my gosh, you're so sweet. I never knew you saw me as—"

"I meant the big one."

"Oh."

"Oh my, me?" The older Neptune giggled as she twirled, the frills of her maid uniform lifting just high enough to reveal a flutter of forbidden laces. "I thought it was weird having to wear this maid uniform, but it was just oh-so cute that I couldn't resist."

Lacoste's eyes traversed every inch of big Neptune's body, burning her hair, her skin, and the outfit's material deep inside her brain until her brain stopped capturing all light except for the older girl in front of her.

Neptune uses the sleeve of her parka to wipe the drool off Lacoste's lips. "At least  _my_  fanbase still appreciates the smaller things in life."

"But, now that you mention it," Nepgear chimed in, "why are you wearing a maid uniform?"

"Because she works for me," a voice echoed from across the wide open lobby.

The girls turned their heads toward the source of the voice. Two raven-haired girls walked towards them with an air of royalty surrounding them. The atmosphere had changed to the point that the air would make those near the two girls want to succumb to their presence and bow down.

At least, until Lacoste glanced to her sides and saw that everyone still acted so casual. Especially Neptune.

"Yo, Noire, what's up?"

Ignoring Neptune's attempt at a high-five, Noire leaned in for a closer inspection. "So this is the famous foreign girl who has been alluding us this whole time?"

She was too far inside Lacoste's comfort zone. Lacoste took a step back, but Noire grabbed a hold of her wrist and continued her thorough inspection until both their eyes met. Noire's eyes. Lacoste's neck almost snapped back at the mere sight of them. The white of her eyes almost swallowed by red veins ready to strike at the core of her red pupil. All of it within a purple shadow highlighting her bags.

"Wow, Noire, you seem well," Neptune said in a sarcastic tone. "Let's not treat her like some alien or something. She's a CPU just like us."

"What? A CPU?" Instead of easing up on her inspection like Neptune had hoped, Noire stared deep into Lacoste's eyes as if she were trying to see the inner-workings of her very soul. Lacoste froze like a statue. "There are a lot of questions that need to be answered." With that, Lacoste found herself being dragged away.

"I-I'm scared. Am I being interrogated?"

Noticing the rise in fear, Uni stood in between the two and grabbed Noire's wrist, forcing her to release Lacoste. "S-sis, can't you see she's scared? You won't be able to get anything out of her at this rate. Besides, what's more important is you getting some rest."

Noire looked at Uni with a meek, angry look behind heavy, dull eyes. She took a deep breath as if she were about to let out a tantrum, but she was only trying to find the energy to even say a single word. Before she could say anything, the air she had taken in came out as a sigh of surrender. "Fine. I'm sorry. Lacoste, was it?"

"Ah, y-yes, ma'am."

"Don't say that like I'm old. You're a goddess, too, so… Forget it. Just understand that you're not off the hook yet. I still need to show all of you something before I let you go."

Noire turned and walked ahead. All the girls watched her back as she headed off, wondering if she'll look back and tell them to hurry up, but she was probably already too tired to even do that.

Uni and Lacoste looked at each other and the Lastation Candidate gave her an awkward smile just to let her know that everything was going to be all right.

**Part 12**

Noire had led all of them down a long flight of stairs, a security checkpoint, another flight of stairs, a security checkpoint with a DNA bank, and more flights of stairs. After walking a couple minutes through an endless underground tunnel lit by only faint blue florescent lights, they probably weren't even under Lastation anymore.

"Would you get off my back?" Noire grumbled.

"But your shoulders are so cold," Neptune said as she buried her checks between Noire's shoulder blades. "Maybe there's something inside your chest that's making the rest of your body feel cold. I bet your h—"

"Don't. Finish. That. Sentence."

"Are we there yet? The amount we've walked would have probably taken us to Lowee by now."

Sweat started to drip down Uni's forehead. "W-Well…"

"We're almost there. Just be patient for a few more minutes and you'll see why we had to keep it as secret as possible."

"'Secret', huh? I think everyone here has an idea on what it is by now. It's about Lacoste, right? Is it the thingy you found? That half-of-a-ship?"

"If it's that obvious, then you should know the importance of such a find." Noire looked over her shoulder and glanced at Lacoste. "And her. What's with her?"

Lacoste's eyes were filled with stars. She held her hands in front of her chest and felt her heart beat. "Ohhh, I really really  _really_  wish we had at least a tour in the city, but it feels like we're heading into a futuristic research facility with top secret government funded projects."

"Yeah, she's been like this since we got here. I guess she's into the whole steampunk sci-fi shtick you got going on."

"W-Well I can't really say her fantasies aren't  _too_  off course… Anyway, did you have any more questions?

"Just one. Why is big me wearing a maid uniform?"

The pacing of their conversation took a drastic turn when the sounds of the tunnel was filled with nothing but the echoing of everyone's footsteps.

"Oh, I've been wondering about that myself," Nepgear said while brushing her fingers against Neptune's frilly dress and apron.

"I was told that every employee should present themselves in a dignified manner that shows how serious and proud they are working under the CPU. Made sense to me. Honestly, I just like wearing it."

"It was a lot easier than expected," Uni mumbled to herself.

"What did you say?" Nepgear turned her head only for Uni to quickly avert her gaze, waving it off with an awkward laugh.

" _It is company policy_ ," Noire blurted out as she sped up to almost a jog. "We're almost there. Hurry up before security close the doors on you."

The rest of the group sped up to keep their distance with Noire until they reached a large metal wall with countless bolts and seals keeping it locked. Noire walked up towards the side of the entrance and placed her hand on a scanner on the wall. A bright light flashed between her fingers and then loud clunks of metal banging and rubbing against each other echoed throughout, the bolts unscrewed and metal bars spun like gears. The wall then rose into the ceiling, revealing a much larger, grander room on the other side.

Men and women in white lab coats walked hurriedly all over. Scientific jargon, ruffled paper, and even more sounds of machinery filled the air.

Despite the chaotic environment, navigating through was seamless. Even though the researchers were dead set on focusing on their work, they were very aware of the presence of their CPU. No one wanted to get in her way.

They reached the edge with a metal railing. All but Noire, Uni, and the bigger Neptune stood over the railing and looked below, and only Lacoste was the only one who showed no signs of questioning whether her brain was still able to judge size and distance.

It was just a ship? …Right?  _Half_  of a ship?

Neptune took a couple steps back from the railing and clamped her hands around her head while taking good, long blinks to straighten her vision. Trying to gauge the size of the ship in relation to the room they were in was messing with her view on reality. "C-Costy, what  _is_  that? Why is it so  _freakin' huge_?"

Lacoste tilted her head with plain eyes, wondering why everyone was getting so worked up about it. "It's the ship I arrived in before I crashed. It's not that big, is it? There's only, like, maybe around thirty thousand rooms and a few floors large enough to fit a life-size model of a couple cities, beaches, and such. There's also a library. Well, there  _was_  all of that."

"Yeah, I give you permission to go on, but I'm just not going to bother putting all that in my head or it's going to explode. It's bad enough that there's going to be no explanation of how this underground facility came to be, anyway."

"Oh, it was just—" Noire clamped her hand on Uni's mouth before she could reveal the nation's secret.

"I-It was share energy," she came up with a vague reason.

"Wow, really? Share energy can do that? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but why wouldn't Histy let me repair our console with share energy?"

"Sis, even if that were true... I don't think share energy is needed to fix it."

"Whaaaat? What are you trying to say, Nep Jr.? Are you hiding something from me?"

"Your political matters are your own personal problems." Noire grabbed Lacoste's arm and dragged her away. "Since we're here, we might as well get started."

"I'm getting in trouble anyway!?"

**Part 13**

The lights dimmed and the walls disappeared behind pitch black. Lacoste could have been standing in outer space, sitting on a wooden chair while floating aimlessly in the endless void of blackness. A single point in space lit up, blinding Lacoste and causing her to flinch. Hesitant to open her eyes, she peeked through her thin eyelashes and two figures appeared behind rays of light. The two walked in front of the light and their silhouettes were now clear in front of the ambiance.

Noire and Uni looked down at Lacoste with hands between the pockets of their long overcoats. While Uni wore her usual hair clips, Noire fancied a particular hat that may have belonged to a certain famous detective.

Uni sighed. "In the end, we're doing this anyway..."

Noire walked up to Lacoste's side and planted her hand on the desk in front of her, leaning closer so their eyes could meet just inches away from each other. "So, talk about yourself, Lacoste."

"…Noire…?"

"I didn't ask about me. I want to know more about you."

"Are you… cosplaying? I do like the neo-'noire' vibe."

For some reason, she could hear a faint noise that sounded like laughter coming from a certain CPU at a distance.

Noire took her hat off and crumpled it in her hand like paper. "N-Nevermind the outfit!" She slammed her other hand against the table to try and discourage Lacoste from going off-topic. Hopefully, the lighting was enough to hide the red hue on her face.

"Let's cut to the chase. I simply want to know the purpose of your arrival in Gamindustri."

"I was on an adventure."

"'Adventure'?"

" _Adventuuuuure!_ " came the same distant voice from beyond the darkness.

"…Vacation. I'm on vacation. I'm a CPU like you, but I've retired from my duties. I just wanted to get away for a while."

Noire scrunched her face as if she just heard the most disturbing noise in the world. The idea of taking a vacation — Noire wouldn't even dare imagine. Sure, Planeptune barely does enough to get through while Neptune takes more breaks than any other responsible individual in Gamindustri, but to completely escape from your responsibilities, your life, as a CPU? Noire couldn't even wrap her mind around the idea.

"It's okay, because I have someone else taking care of things while I'm gone."

Uni's eyes widen. "You mean a CPU Candidate?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's it. I never was that great of a leader, to be honest, but that never stopped my nation from flourishing. I think, no, my nation grew up and matured faster than I ever could and left me behind. That's just how things go, you know?" The way she said it made the air around them melancholic. She was staring at the wooden table imagining her nation grow before her eyes.

Noire raised an eyebrow, impressed at how aware and admitting she is of her flaws — if only a certain CPU could possess the same trait. Of course, it's really hard  _not_  to be impressed by anyone that could grow a nation capable of constructing a monster of a ship that she had. Just imagining what that nation may look like was greater than anything she had imagined before.

"Even if it was just a vacation, a ship with those specifications is a bit overkill, isn't it? Before we did a full inspection, we thought it harbored some sort of doomsday weapon. How is having an 'adventure' the goal when you're inside one of those?"

Lacoste pouted as she looked away. "…I wanted a pirate ship."

Noire and Uni just stared with dumbfounded looks on their faces. "What?"

"I wanted a pirate ship. I wanted to try becoming a pirate, or at least some sort of wooden ship. For an adventurer, you know, an adventurer. I'm still super mad about that."

Noire's mouth was opening and closing trying to form words, but she was speechless. Only after a moment of contemplation did she finally say, "a 'pirate ship'?"

"Arr, matey! To sail the seven seas, explore vast continents, gather all the booty. But  _nooooo_ , my little CPU candidate over there is always so worried about me so I was given one of our luxury ships instead. Dummy…"

Noire and Uni looked at each other in confusion. They didn't know what to take from Lacoste's words. Is she always this… doltish? Or is she putting up a front? Acting dumb is a common tactic to dodge the truth, but this was just too… Neptune, and breaking down Neptune with words is already attempting the impossible.

Noire sighed. She spent so much time setting the investigator vibe just to get nowhere.

Still, this girl is quite the interesting enigma. How she acts, how she looks, what she owns — that frickin' ship! Noire couldn't stop thinking about it — it's a mind-boggling mystery how this girl in front of her actually exists. There were so many more questions they could be here forever. And most of those questions were becoming less about research, but to merely satisfy Noire's own curiosity.

What kind of nation could this silly girl hold dominion over?

Wait a minute, why couldn't she ask that?

"So, let me get this straight. You're  _not_  here for any political reason? You're not scouting for information for some sort of invasion?"

"Of course not. Why would I do something of the sort? …Is that something a CPU should be doing?" Lacoste was embarrassed and felt incompetent. She looked down at the table for a few seconds before looking back at Noire with a smile. "We're friends now, aren't we? I wouldn't invade a friend's nation. I would never betray our friendship for something stupid like power or shares. I like all of you. I like it here. I like… Lastation."

"It's great, isn't it?" Noire said proud of herself with a hint of red across her face. "But I sincerely want to know more about your nation, because, honestly, your nation is obviously out of this world. I don't think my nation, or anyone else's for that matter, can stand a chance against yours." The feeling of awe was overshadowing the slight sting in her chest.

"It's true that your nation is far behind mine. If things go as they are now, I predict your nation to reach my nation's status in a few decades. Of course, by then my nation would be even further advanced in technology."

Noire twitched from head to toe.

"But the one thing you have over me is that… you've built your nation from the ground up."

"What do you mean?"

"Your whole nation depends on you. You worked hard to the bone just to give your people sustenance, and in turn, they put their faith in you. I'm… I'm not like you… Remember when I said my city matured faster than I ever could? When I founded my nation, it was on the basis of just living life to the fullest and having fun. Before I knew it, it became all about work. I couldn't adapt. I just wanted to play, but my city went ahead and grew and grew and grew. I guess you can say I'm lucky to be the CPU of a nation that could handle itself, but… I was left behind."

Noire had always took managing her nation seriously. She would usually prioritize her work over her social life and even her own health, working hours on end with no break or even having a bite to eat. As the CPU, it was her life's duty, her responsibility, to oversee her nation's growth. Lastation is the nation that she can rightfully call hers.

She couldn't imagine how Lacoste felt about her own nation. Did her nation not  _need_  her? The concept of a nation with a Goddess, but not  _needing_  her was so alien. If Lastation became able to sustain itself, then Noire could take great pride being the leader that brought their nation to that hypothetical golden age. She would also be able to take better care of herself. Take more breaks. Eat more snacks. Be a better sister to Uni. Spend more time with Neptune.

Sit back and look through her room's window, forced to watch her own nation grow and leave her behind.

She was starting to get into Lacoste mind and felt what Lacoste must have been feeling.

"I-I'm sorry," Lacoste said after realizing how cruddy she made the mood. "I'm just being dramatic, really. It's a great place, but I just look like a tourist walking around my own nation."

Lacoste stood up and stepped to the side so she could stand in front of Noire. "I envy you, Noire. Your nation is the way it is now because of your sacrifices and convictions. Your blood and soul is part of the city. I can tell. You're amazing."

The blush returned with a stronger intensity. All this praise. It was sudden and it was too much for Noire to handle. "Y-Yeah, I-I mean, of course! I only do everything for  _my_  nation after all."

**Part 14**

"Seeeeee? I told you there was nothing to worry about."

Noire folded up her detective uniform and stuffed it in a nearby locker just outside of the interrogation room. "I admit I may have been a tad too suspicious, but that's all for the safety of our great nations."

"I understand," Lacoste said. "I probably would have done the same thing, too. I know how it feels trying to do whatever it takes to keep your nation safe and happy. You're amazing, Noire."

"Yeah, Noire, you're reeeaaally amaaaazing."

"Sh-shut up, I don't need confirmation from  _you_. Anyway, even if I've started to accept you as an ally, there's still two more you have to convince. And one of them…"

"Is it Blanc? That'll be EZPZ. We just gotta go over there and set things straight, right?"

Noire sighed. "I wish it were that easy, but truth be told, this whole research regarding Lacoste's ship has affected her far more than I thought it would. She was occupied in her work the last time we contacted each other. Since then, she's been ignoring every one of my calls, so I just stopped and let her be."

"Blanc is a CPU as well, right? If I head over there and meet her with all you guys with me, then for sure she'll believe that I'm just a harmless adventurer. So… what's her nation like?"

Nepgear noticed Uni at the corner of her eye and decided to break off from the group and head over to the younger ravenette. Uni hadn't noticed Nepgear's presence and continued tapping away on her mobile device.

"What are you doing?" Nepgear said as she poked her head over Uni's shoulder.

"I'm just looking through the schematics of a cool new device I'm designing." Uni spoke in a calm and friendly matter, completely hiding the fact that Nepgear's sudden appearance made Uni's heart skip a beat and the temperature of her body rose a hundred degrees.

"Oh, are you planning on building something?"

"Well, not really, but it's been on my mind for a while and I might start dabbling in it some time. Make use of this whole facility."

"I never knew Lastation had an underground facility this whole time."

"Hmm." Uni glanced around the room watching all the researchers move around non-stop. "It only took us the last couple days to build it."

"Oh, I see. That's— wait, what the goodness!?"

Uni tilted her head to the side, wondering why Nepgear's face looked as if she had seen the end of time. "What's the matter?"

"N-nothing… nothing at all. So, um, what were you planning on building?"

"Like I said, I don't think I'll be able to build it, but I'll make use of our resources to dabble a bit." Uni averted her gaze for a moment before looking at Nepgear. "I'm not an expert at machinery like you."

Nepgear thought about her words for a moment and soon her face lit up as she thought of an idea. "I know, how about I help you build it?"

"R-Really? You will?"

"Sure, for you, I'll do my best to build whatever it is you want."

Nepgear didn't know how much those words meant to Uni, especially since Uni was taking multiple different meanings of those words for her own satisfaction.

"Well, it's just this." Uni handed over her tablet displaying the blueprints of what looked like a mechanical ball. "It's just a random idea I had. I was on my bed thinking… what if the guns on my display rack became animated?"

"Goodness, so that's what this is. So, a mobile hands-free weapon that fires without the owner having to operate it. Like a robot?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"This would actually be incredibly fun. I'd love to help build—"

"Oh, yoohoo~" That voice came from Neptune who was waving at them while the other CPUs headed off. "Hey, Nep Jr., don't get left behind again, okay?"

"O-okay. Let's talk about it more next time."

"Right." Uni stashed her tablet back into her pocket and quickly rejoined with the group while sticking a bit closer to Nepgear than before. Her conversation with Nepgear had made her feel a little bit more "daring" than usual.

Neptune raised an eyebrow as she placed her hands on her hips. "Hold on there, Noire. The exits that way. Where are we going?"

Noire walked up and placed her hand on an empty spot of a wall. Light seeped through as the wall split apart like a sliding door. The group walked through not knowing where it leads, but once they all made it through the other side, the faces of the Planeptune goddesses were struck dumbfounded.

"What the where-huh-why—"

"What the goodness?"

Even Uni was embarrassed. "It's more convenient this way."

"Yay, Lastation!" Lacoste ran off towards the balcony at the end of Noire's work room.

"We didn't have to walk that whole way? We just had to go through Noire's  _room_?"

"That's right. No way am I going to walk the whole distance a second time. That was just because I couldn't trust Lacoste."

"Big me, did you know about this?"

"Confidential information."

"So, that's a yes."

"Yup~"

While everyone had their fun chattering in Noire's room, Lacoste stood out at the balcony. Her fingers wrapped tightly around the cold metal railing, chilled by the gentle breeze blowing strands of her bangs across her face. The city was like an ocean of pure gold, reflecting the glow of the setting sun. The same glow glistened in Lacoste's eyes.

"This city is so beautiful… I remember when it became like this…"

Down below, many students walked along a path of trees. Some were walking with friends while eating crepes, some were relaxing on the grass or on benches. Some were lost in their own world, ignoring their surroundings as they delved deep into whatever they were doing on their mobile devices.

Businessmen filled the many skyways connecting many sections of the city near their capacity. Just one look at one would get the impression that nothing on their minds had anything unrelated to work.

In front of a large building were a few kids playing around. They had tossed a ball too high for one of the kids to catch and the ball ended up near the bottom of the stairs leading to the building. A woman in a suit took a step up the stairs and noticed the ball and looked at the kids smiling and waving for her to toss the ball back.

She shook her head and continued up the stairs, refusing to acknowledge the children any more than she had.

"There is no point in me going with you. Besides, unlike you, I have work I must do."

"Aww, can't you just take a break for once? Even Uni promised to collaborate with Planeptune to make the perfect curry pudding."

"Wait, when did I—"

"Or was it pudding curry?"

Adult Neptune held a finger to her chin as she scanned through her memories. "Oh yeah, my weekly payment is a bowl of Uni's famous curry."

"We have labor laws! A-And no you're not, you're paid—"

"I'm not getting paid!?" Her face turned a purple deeper than her eyes. "But your pudding is absolutely godlike!"

"That's not a fair employer-employee relationship." Neptune shook her head in disappointment.

"Y-you butt out of this…! B-big sis…!"

Noire shrugged and smiled. It was best to let Uni get hands-on experience with their neighboring rivals and learn how to deal with them. Besides, seeing Uni's inexperience dealing with someone of Neptune's personality was actually entertaining. It was pretty nostalgic.

Giggling, she remembered someone missing from the group. She turned and saw Lacoste watching from the balcony.

"Oh, Lacoste. I'm really sorry about all that trouble I put you through. It's nothing personal, I hope you understand."

Lacoste paused for a moment. Noire was about to repeat herself thinking she didn't make herself loud and clear. "Are you not coming with us?"

"What? Oh, you mean to Lowee? Sorry, but I'm too busy right now."

"I see."

"Meanie Lonely Heart makes our legs fall off and just sends us off our way. Too cruel."

"I never said you couldn't rest here if you wanted to." Noire placed one hand on her hip. "I'd love to go with you, but I have papers to verify. I also need to check in with R&D and see how things are moving along."

"Is all that really necessary?" Lacoste said. Something about her tone of voice made Noire's skin chill, but Noire wasn't sure why and didn't pay much mind to it.

"Of course, it's necessary. I don't want to divulge too much information, but we've made breakthrough advancements that would surely make our shares skyrocket."

For a few seconds, there was silence, but each second felt like hours. A heavy pressure lingered in the air that made everyone present nervous, except for Noire who was oblivious to why Lacoste was staring intensely at her.

Lacoste tilted her head to the side. "You already have an incredibly high percentage of shares."

"That's… true. But why stop there, right?"

"I'm not saying you should stop for good. Just… take a break, maybe? Have fun once in a while?"

"I-I take breaks! …Sometimes… Is that what this is all about?" Noire shook her head with a smile and sighed as she placed another hand on her hips. "You're probably used to Neptune's antics by now, but what she does is not the norm. My work here is too important to just put aside just to have fun—"

Noire jerked her head forward as if something had struck the back of her neck. It was not an object that had hit her, but a scream. A muffled screamed. She turned around to see Nepgear on her knees, covering her mouth with both hands and screamed until her lungs burned. Uni got down to try and help her calm down, but she was knocked back from Nepgear's flailing. Even Neptune dropped like a rock, clutching her chest, and twitching violently in the fetal position.

"Your friends are inviting you to play, you know," Lacoste said.

"You…!"

But Noire couldn't do anything. She was too afraid to do anything. She pictured in her mind what she should have done. At the very least, charge forward and take Lacoste down. Anything, but the aura radiating from Lacoste was keeping Noire at bay. It wasn't fear. She was scared, but that had never stopped her before. It was more like she felt she shouldn't as if she wasn't in position to do so.

She didn't have the right.

She didn't have the authority.

She was weak.

There was a loud thud, but she didn't turn around. Only the voice of the older Neptune crying out for Neptune, Nepgear, and Uni.

Even Uni. Noire wasn't sure if she should look back. This feeling of inferiority, submissiveness, feeble desire to do anything about it, was all because of the girl in front of her and the mysterious staff that appeared her hands.

Her bangs somewhat messy, slightly covering Lacoste's eyes, but her smirk gave out a clear message.  _What are you going to do?_  Inviting. Mocking. But what she said afterward was the opposite of that. It was friendly. It was playful. It was everything that was nothing like Noire was witnessing.

A charming melody filled the room and found their way into Noire's ears.

"Let's go on an adventure."


	4. Noire Fiction, Part 2

**Part 15**

Noire slowly opened her eyes. It was dark and her vision was slightly blurry. It felt like she hadn't opened her eyes in a very long time. When she tried to rub her eyes, that was when she realized the small space she found herself in. Small and cramp. She could hardly move her body. She shivered and her teeth clattered as the metal interior pressed against her bare skin. That was when she realized she was completely naked as well.

Rapid fire questions went through her head, but before anything else, the main priority was getting out of here. She pushed the walls and shook her body with all her strength. Whatever she was in, it only shook a little bit, but after a long while, Noire soon tired herself out. Whenever she thought there was a sign of breaking free, she would accept it as false sense of hope and admit defeat. However, everytime time she was on the verge of giving up, she reminded herself that she is the CPU of Lastation and motivated herself.

She stomped her foot and the space she was in budged more than it had ever did. She stomped again and the wall in front of her shifted upwards. A breeze of emptiness brushed her toes and her heart started pounding.

Some sort of pull-out cabinet. She managed to climb out of her entrapment and collapsed on the floor. The idea she would be stuck in there forever was about to drive her insane. She didn't wanted to use anymore energy just to get off the floor, but remembering her lack of clothes on her body forced her to shoot up from the floor and look at her surroundings.

Countless cabinets that spanned the entire side of the wall. Each cabinet had a red light. The only exception was an open cabinet with a green light.

"It's really cold in here," she said as she placed her arms on her chest only to shiver from how cold her own skin was.

Sounds of footsteps from outside grew louder and louder. The jangling of keys and the creak of a doorknob turning. Noire looked around and squeezed inside the cabinet doors below a single table workstation in the middle of the room.

Once she closed herself in, the main door to the room opened followed by a stream of footsteps.

"Traffic was horrendous," said one of the people who came in.

A loud thud almost made Noire jump and hit her head. "Damn protesters."

"Yeah. Don't they realize they're just making things worst for the rest of us?"

_A protest? In my city? What's going on?_

"Conspiracy this, conspiracy that. We're just doing our jobs."

"Right? If they ever got off their asses and get their own jobs, they might realize how idiotic they're being."

"True that. Wait a minute… what happened there?"

Noire tensed up the moment he heard one of the men step to the other side of the desk.

"Oh  _shit_! Was that always open?"

"Huh? No way, I made sure all the bodies were in their designated cabinets."

_Bodies?_

From where Noire was hiding, she couldn't tell what was going on, but for a good minute, there was utter silence except for the deafening tension that filled the air and the beating of her heart. She was too afraid to open up a crack and take a peek, not just because she might get found out, but the fear of the outside being nothing but a void.

One of the men spoke and Noire was able to breathe again.

"Call for an emergency." He spoke calm, but with urgency. "A body is missing from the morgue."

Noire didn't hear anything else except for the running footsteps and the door closing behind them. It's not that she couldn't hear, but it was when she heard those words her mind went blank. She hugged her knees to her chest and felt a sense of dread creep up to her, suffocating her.

Body.

Morgue.

"Was I… dead…?"

She shook her head as she took in a deep breath. No, that's not possible, she thought. Why would she be dead? How would she have died? Did Lacoste… kill her? But if that were true, then why would she be alive at this moment? Doesn't Uni play a zombie shooting game on her console? Noire quickly ran her fingers over her face and sighed in relief. Still smooth and supple like a goddess's skin should be.

She crawled out of her hiding spot and was greeted by the metal cabinets she now knew held individual bodies within. Dead, lifeless bodies. She was one of those bodies, although she had no idea why or how she came to be one. She felt dizzy and almost tripped, knocking over a briefcase and spilling its contents all over the desk.

Most of what fell out were a bunch of papers, none initially worth noting. However, one titled "Warehouse No. 5" grabbed her attention and she darted her eyes through its contents. The paper referenced a collection of bodies preserved for safe keeping in order to be used as a power source.

_A power source?_

What could dead bodies be a power source for? If she failed to wake up any sooner, she would have been used as fuel to a fire. Still, what could use bodies as a power source was going to be stuck in Noire's head all day. A morgue to preserve these bodies with government paid employees, so it couldn't be anything illegal, could it? Oh, perhaps recycling for fertilizer or even fuel for energy? If it's that, then there would be nothing wrong about it.

Other than the fact she had no memories of ever funding the technology or research for it.

She lost herself reading through the papers until the freezing chill in the air caused her spine to shiver, snapping her back to reality. She was still naked, embarrassed as she was to admit it, but she had to leave the room and find a way out. Preferably with a set of clothes along the way.

She pressed an ear against the door and after confirming no sounds of anyone on the other side, she opened the door and entered.

It was an office room with multiple desks and computers, but what she gravitated towards the most was a rack with a white coat on it. It was a tad too large for her, but she didn't expect everything here to be tailored just for her. She just didn't want to risk anyone taking a free peek during her escape.

After taking a deep breath, she slowly peeked her head out the door and, seeing the coast was clear, headed out.

Now, if only she had any directions. She was probably walking around in circles. Getting lost was starting to stress her out and it didn't help that she was completely naked under that large coat. She could have sworn that she walked passed the morgue a few times now. Why was she there in the first place? She couldn't have been dead, but… how come she couldn't remember anything before she woke up? Was she dead all along until just now? One of them said that he checked all the "bodies", so she wasn't the only one. But, why?

Were the others in there?

She shook her head. That couldn't possibly be true. The panicking was making her walk faster than an Olympic speed-walker. It had gotten to the point she was too focused on finding the exit she had forgotten how to breath. She took one last step and lost her balance, hitting the wall with a thump and using as much energy she had left to keep herself leaning against it.

_Just a little rest…_

She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, withstanding the heavy thumping in her head while trying to power through and rejuvenate her energy as fast as she could.

All that energy flew out of her body as her heart slammed against her chest.

"Hey, you there," a voice yelled from down the hallway. "What are you doing?"

"Wait a minute, th-that's… she was in that open cabinet before! She's the missing body!"

_Oh, crap!_

Noire sprinted and turned the corner. She ran as fast as she could while the men chased after her. She still didn't know where to go, but she kept running even when her vision blurred and her legs felt like falling off.

There was a flight of stairs leading upwards to a single door. She took her chances and ran up the steps, her body feeling a hundred pounds heavier with each step of the way up, bashing the door open with her shoulder. Her heart fluttered as she was enveloped by a divine cold breeze giving her a moment of respite.

She finally found her way out, but what she saw refused to give her heart any time to rest.

Noire stood near the edge of the roof. She probably wasn't even sure where she was standing at the moment. All she could think about, no, she couldn't even think. What she was seeing right in front of her was literally blowing her mind.

Countless skyscrapers and other tall buildings buddied up next to either far from the eye can see. Lights. More lights than there have ever been stars in the sky. A rainbow of lights from the signs and billboards hanging from buildings, or lights shining from vehicles down below, or the lights from vehicles passing by.

Passing by.

Right in front of her.

Flying frickin' cars.

There's one thing Noire knew for sure. This was definitely not Lastation. Yet, she was less disappointed than she thought she would be. Just one look and anyone could tell this was a far more advanced city than her own. Even her awe was too much that she couldn't even feel any shame, even if she wanted to.

She could only stand there and stare and dream of her Lastation to be just like this.

"Stay right there!"

And this moment of elation couldn't have been disrupted at a worse time.

"Wait just a moment. I'm a goddess. The CPU of Lastation."

"What? Did she just call herself a 'goddess'?"

The scientists and guards looked at each other confused.

"She must have gone insane. I can't believe you put her inside a morgue."

"She was  _dead_ , stupid."

Noire clicked her tongue. Perhaps these men meant well, but if they weren't going to listen to her, then why should she humor them? As pedestrian as that logic may be for Noire's character, she also didn't want to find out whether or not they still plan on using her for their science project.

"Then, if you won't leave me alone…"

There was only one way out of here.

And for some reason, nothing was happening.

She couldn't transform.

She looked down at her own body. Yep, she was still in her human form. Then, she realized, she couldn't feel any of the shares. She was powerless.

The men stepped closer and Noire took one more step back, her heels sticking over the edge of the rooftop.

There was still one other way out of here.

One crazy, damning way out of here.

You would have to be absolutely insane and be on some serious meds to go forward with this escape.

You would have to be—

Actually, Neptune probably does this all the time.

Noire jumped off the roof. The last she saw of her pursuers were them sprinting over to stop her. Damn them for being too slow.

Her coat flapped through the air, loud whizzing noises filled her ears as she fell past the in-air traffic. She wasn't sure if she would hit the ground or get hit by an oncoming flying vehicle, but either way, it was going to hurt.

The flickering lights below were growing larger in numbers. At first, it was a sight to behold, even during her fall she was in awe, but as the scene became clearer, she realized the flickering lights were torches, stakes, and other objects aflame.

A city-wide riot.

It was the last thing she saw before her vision went black and her whole body was struck so hard she felt nothing but numbness.

**Part 16**

Deja vu had struck her hard. The confusion of her whereabouts became a familiar feeling to her, but at least she was looking up at the ceiling of a nicely heated bedroom and not trapped in a claustrophobic casket.

Still, why was she even here? That question was about to be her epithet. She attempted to get up, but one small twitch caused pain to shoot through her body as if she just got rammed by a truck.

That's right. She must have blacked out before hitting the ground. Well, there was a huge group of people, so one of them must have been kind enough to take her in. Hopefully not the strange sort.

Frozen in place hoping for the pain to subside, she gritted her teeth and sat on the side of the bed. Whining about how much it hurt was not befit of a goddess.

Getting up like an old man with a bad back, she noticed a chair next to the bed. There was a stack of new clothing and a piece of paper on top. It read:  _I have readied up a new set of clothes. "Once you wake up, please, put them on. They are my daughter's. I'm sure she wouldn't mind. I hope they fit._ "

A possible flag for a possibly strange sort, but the room itself was very tidy and clean. It must belong to this person's daughter as well. The clothes were pretty cute, too. A simple shirt and sweatpants. At least it was something she could wear properly. She had to get out of that white coat asap.

In front of her was a mirror that almost reached the whole span of the wall. There was a small gap between the edge of the mirror and the corner. Noire placed her hand on the mirror and slid it to the side, revealing a large closet on the other side.

Geez, what was she doing? Peeking at another girl's closet like that. Oh, but that leather jacket's pretty cute. Her cosplay senses were tingling and she forgot she was in another person's house, inside that person's daughter's bedroom, rummaging through that person's daughter's bedroom closet.

Her cosplay fantasies had taken over and she sampled many of the stylish pieces inside. Many of them fit the aesthetic of the city very well. It wasn't a style too alien for a Lastation resident, but these pieces were pretty extreme.

After awhile of fun experimentation, she found an outfit that she was satisfied with wearing every day. A pair of black jeans and a long, thin black cardigan. It draped down her body like it was an over-sized cape and it had a nifty hood to boot. Completing the look was a double rider leather jacket.

Noire posed in front of the mirror, turning around to see every flawless angle. She grabbed a couple handfuls of her hair to help visualize how she'd look if she were to have her ribbons. Noire smirked. Actually, she looked a lot better with her hair down.

Far too engrossed ogling at herself, she failed to hear the door opening, and once she realized it, an old man was staring right at her, mouth agape.

"Eep," Noire shrieked in embarrassment. "I-It's not what you think, I was just… uh…"

The old man took a bit of time to recollect his thoughts before giving a soft smile. "No, I'm sorry. For a moment, I thought you were my daughter."

The old man opened the door fully and held a tray with tea and some pastries. "I don't have much, but I hope you'll join me for a snack."

He closed the door, giving Noire any needed alone time before she was ready to come out. She still had questions. Many questions. She was desperate to find out where in the hell she ended up, because this sure as hell wasn't Gamindustri.

It was a nice place. It wasn't too fancy. It was pretty normal, but it felt homey. Warm. Cozy. Unique. It would be wrong to say there was a lack of character, especially with the amount of large weaponry displayed on the walls. Rifles, lasers, rocket launchers, even a large katana. There was also an old war uniform worn by a mannequin. It would be rude to think they were fake. If only Uni was here.

There was a heavenly, pastry smell wafting through the air. The old man sat down on the long sofa and gestured for Noire to take a seat anywhere. Noire decided to take one of the single couches, underestimating how cushiony the seat felt, sinking into it like a beanbag.

Noire noticed a photograph under an open lamp. "Is that you and your daughter?"

"It was taken many years ago," the man said, picking up the picture and holding it in his hands. "I looked a lot younger, as you can see. I guess when the city's been in complete disarray for a long time, it takes a toll out of you. But look at her then. She's beautiful, ain't she?"

He was right. She was beautiful. Stunning. Cool — in a butt-kicking kind of way. Now that she had a closer look, the girl in the picture did have some sort of resemblance to Noire, but with a much more mature vibe. It made her feel a bit insecure realizing how prepubescent she looked compared to the man's daughter.

It hurt her pride as an avid cosplayer.

"How I miss her so…" The old man said, lost in his sorrow. "I could never… forget you… forget you… never… my…"

The room was then filled with the wails of past memories bursting from the depths of his heart. The bass of his cries startled Noire and she froze in hesitation, but as CPU, it was against her nature to keep a person hurting. Emotional pain is no exception, and from the sounds of it, he was in more pain than someone getting rammed by a flying vehicle.

She sat down next to him and made sure he knew he wasn't alone anymore. It's not much compared to what he had done for her taking her in, but something tells her that he needed this company more than anything else.

A couple hours had passed.

It was the middle of the night, but neither of them felt tired. They were having fun, to be exact. After the man released his pent up agony, they talked the minutes away while having tea and snacks. They talked about each other's lives, their friends, relations, daily activities. Noire even talked about her role as a CPU, and that's how she learned about another CPU. His daughter was close friends with the CPU of this nation. They were always seen together, playing. Soon after the disappearance of his daughter, however, the CPU had disappeared as well. No one knew why or if their disappearances were linked. Either way, the city had changed since then and now it's become this.

The television was showing a live broadcast of the ongoing protest. Even though the protest was on the other end of the city, the effects were still being felt just outside the building. People were walking in the streets yelling and setting off fireworks in support for the main protest. It may have looked like a festival out those windows, but what was shown on the screen was an ocean of people standing on landed vehicles, standing on top of street lamps, marching around with signs and torches.

Noire had a bad feeling that things would get worse if something isn't done about it.

"How did this all happen in the first place?"

"Ever since the CPU's disappearance, there had been a large shift in the people's morale. You see, when the CPU was still around, the entire nation was very laid back and took any chance to fill their day with fun and excitement. That's how the entire nation ran itself; the whole concept of simply having fun. Once the people realized the CPU was missing, however, there was widespread panic. For awhile, people continued living their lives as they normally would in hopes the CPU would return, but then others started questioning. 'Who will protect us? Who will keep our nation stable? Who will be in charge'? So, a group of people took the initiative to try and take care of the nation with their own hands until the CPU would return. She never did.

"It was fine, and the nation actually started to flourish, but that brought forth additional problems. You see, not everyone agreed with how the nation was now being governed by people not of the goddess. One of the ideas that permanently created a rift in the nation was the idea of having its citizens work. One side believed people should pull their weight and help grow the nation together, while one side believed sticking with its traditions of having fun because it was what the CPU taught us. Both were valid ideologies for increasing the nation's shares and continue its upward growth.

"But then things escalated. There were rumors, leaks, that the current government have been taking innocent civilians and using their lifeforce to increase the city's shares. More people went missing. So many unanswered questions. It become frightening how much people started to panic and accuse the government of kidnapping its own citizens, enlarging the already existing rift that separated our people."

The man picked up the picture of him and his daughter and rubbed his thumb against his daughter's face. "All I believe is that everyone, no matter their ambitions, should always wear a smile on their face. Because in the end, that's all that should matter, right? As long as you're happy, then that's all it should be. Happiness."

"That's a good position to have," Noire smiled. "What would your daughter think?"

"My daughter…" He looked down at the picture in his hands and pondered for a moment before letting out a chuckle. "She would probably put everyone through hell and kick everyone's ass until they were satisfied. Crazy gal, she was. Stubborn, too, but she loved to have fun. She was always competitive, and she always worked hard to make sure everyone had a good time and put their faith in the CPU."

Through their conversations, Noire had learned a lot about his daughter, the CPU, and much about the nation's history. It seems this nation in particular is probably very, very young. It has yet to form a stable government and its people have entered a stage of great turmoil. A desire for a revolution. A civil war. A possible over-exaggeration, but who knows what sort of tree may sprout from a seed such as a protest.

"It's gotten fairly late. You can use the room you woke up in for the night. My daughter surely wouldn't mind."

"Thank you, but actually… I'd like to head back to the city."

The man's eyes widen as he almost choked. "What, why? What reason do you have for you to go back to such a dangerous area?"

"I know, I know it's crazy, but before I got here, I was searching for some people I know and I think they're somewhere around that area. I have to go find them."

"But you must be tired. Plus, you're still healing from your injuries. You can rest up right now and head off tomorrow. How can you think about going out right now?"

Noire stood up with determination, combing her long hair with her fingers as her eyes were sharp as daggers. "Because I can do anything."

"But—…" The old man paused as he stared at Noire. An image of her daughter appeared right next to her. The same resolute pose, the same stubborn attitude, the same unyielding aura. "You're just like her. Fine, I guess I can't stop you, can I? Promise me you'll be safe."

Noire nodded. "Thank you. For everything."

"No. Thank you."

After a few final words and a goodbye, Noire took the elevator and exited the apartment complex. The atmosphere had changed drastically the moment she stepped out of the door of the old man's living quarters, like she had physically stepped through another dimension. It may have been short, but it felt as if she spent years with him as close friends. It was a heartwarming feeling that she was already missing and started to regret leaving so soon.

She was desperate to have another moment like that again.

_Uni… Neptune… Where are you?_

Oh, that's right. Noire never did get his name or the names of his daughter and the CPU. Or even the name of the city. How uncharacteristic of her, and she was already thinking of how to ask for his name in the future without it being awkward.

Noire opened her hand-me-down leather jacket in hopes to get at least one name.

She found one, but it wasn't much help. The patch was old and the written words on it were faint. The only thing Noire could distinguish from the patch were the words: "Gift from id S."

She walked past a line of cars and noticed one was completely trashed compared to the others. There was a large dent on the front edge of the roof and the front window was completely shattered.

"...Oh."

**Part 17**

The more she walked, the closer she was to the heart of the protest. People were getting more rowdy, more verbal, more violent. Noire couldn't help but get shoved around, hitting bodies, benches, and light posts, getting smacked by shoulders, signs, or getting yelled at.

She was starting to fear for her own safety, fear that this riot would escalate to something much worse. A man was thrown against a wall and a brawl started in front of her. Noire didn't see what it was about or who was a part of it, but she didn't want to stay and find out.

She quickly pushed through the closest entrance and as the door closed being her, the commotion outside stopped reaching her ears and was replaced by a mellow jazz tune.

There were only enough lights to prevent getting lost in the dark. Clothed tables were scattered around, mostly empty, but the tables that occupied by the most people were in front of a well-lit stage. Women in playboy bunny outfits moved in seductive ways against a metal pole, each elegant sway of their arms, legs, hips, brought out a wolfish howl from the men in the audience.

Noire swallowed her pride and saliva and headed towards a more comfortable area of the room; a wine bar. Surprisingly enough, it was not just men, but women too were lounging about nearer to the bar than the main stage.

Noire wasn't much of an alcoholic, although there were times that work at taken its toll and she needed to calm her demons. Given her current situation, this was one of those times that she needed a down a few chains.

As she neared the bar, she heard a voice coming from the shadows of a dark hallway.

"Squeaky clean, squeaky clean~ It's tough work, but it feels good to be squeaky clean~ …Huh?"

The sight of the women who appeared made Noire's face a bright, burning red. Standing in front of her was a woman wearing a playboy bunny outfit hugging her surprisingly well-tone body and her respectably-sized bosom. In one of her hands was a headband with bunny ears while she was drying her long, purple hair with the other.

"N-Nep—" Noire stuttered. She tried to form words, but nothing came out of her mouth, wide open as her eyes. She wasn't sure why she couldn't stop looking up and down her body, but for some reason she couldn't stop and wanted to burn it all in her brain for future purposes. "Nep…tune…?"

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry, do I know you? You're a customer, right? Sorry, I'm not good with faces."

It took Noire a second before realizing that Neptune couldn't recognize her due to her new outfit and hairstyle.

"No, look, it's me, Noire. Can't you tell? I'm so glad to see—", she caught herself staring where she shouldn't and shot her eyes back to Neptune's, "—to see you. Listen, do you know where Uni is? Or Neptune, or even Nepgear?"

To Noire's confusion, the older Neptune just stared at Noire without a single response. After a few moments of awkward silence, Neptune walked up to Noire, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her into the darkness of the hallway.

She led Noire to one of the rooms at the back. It was a dressing room. Once Neptune closed the door behind them, she wrapped her arms around Noire and started crushing her shoulders.

"T-that's… too much… Are you… crying?"

"I don't normally do this, but just shut up and let me take in this moment for as long as I can in case this is all just a dream."

"Y-you have all the time in the world to give me hugs, because I'm actually here."

"I know." Neptune tightened her hold around Noire.

After a few minutes of embrace, Noire had to push Neptune off of her. Not to be rude or anything, but just so she could continue using her arms for the rest of her life.

"Where have you been this whole time?" Neptune wished to continue the hugging assault.

Noire dropped herself on a beanbag chair and sighed. "Where? It's a long story, but as far as I know, I've only woken up a few hours ago."

"A few hours ago?"

"Long story, and even that's pretty short." She sank into the beanbag some more and took a couple of deep breaths. "I have no idea what happened to me, even less what's going on here at all. What about you? What are you doing here?"

Before Neptune could answer, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Neptune said.

The door opened and the person who walked in made Noire jump from her seat.

"Uni!?"

Uni jumped and held a clipboard to her chest. "W-who are—…"

"Uni, it's me, Noire. Oh my  _gosh_ , I can't believe I found you and Neptune. I've been looking everywhere for you, but I had no idea where to start looking. This place is absolutely crazy. I'm so glad I've found you, Uni, you have no idea how… worried… I… was?"

Uni dropped her clipboard and took slow, staggered steps towards Noire. After a few steps, she took one last step and stumbled, falling forward for Noire to catch her.

"Are you okay?" Noire said with a very worried look on her face.

Uni's face was buried inside Noire's chest. She didn't respond with words, but just a simple nod of her head. Normally, Noire would reject that sort of response and get Uni to tell her what's wrong, but then she felt Uni's entire body shaking. Shaking, as if she were trying to hold in something deep within her, forcing herself from letting it all out.

"Uni," Noire said with a smile. Tears welled in her own eyes. "You can cry. It's okay."

Uni shook her head without looking up, her face kept hidden away in Noire's chest.

Noire giggled. She knew Uni was stubborn. More stubborn than her. So, to help with that, Noire took both sides of her jacket and wrapped them around Uni's head, completely hiding her head from anyone that could be watching. The very moment Noire's fingers touched the back of Uni's head, Uni exploded. Her wailing cries were muffled by Noire's chest and Noire simply held her little sister in an embrace that she was willing to let go on for the rest of her life and beyond.

She didn't want this moment to end, because this was going to be the last time these sisters would ever embrace each other like this. This wasn't due to a sad realization, but because Noire promised to make sure Uni will never be alone ever again.

Because she loved her.

Because they're sisters.

**Part 18**

Noire was holding her hands tightly together, her fingers pressed against the back of her knuckles. With how hard she was pressing, she probably had made multiple dents on the back of her hands.

Just moments ago, Noire was having an emotional reunion with Uni, but now she was stressing out after learning new information.

"So, I was actually… dead?"

Uni paused for a moment, because she didn't want to think about it any longer. "That's what Lacoste said. I didn't know whether to believe her, but after not seeing you for months… I… I… Noire…"

"It's okay." Noire placed her hand on Uni's thigh. "I'm here now. I'm not dead and I never will be. There's no way I can leave you behind, right? It would stress me out even more knowing Lastation will be in your hands."

"Noire… Hey, wait a minute."

Noire laughed while Uni started pummeling her sister's chest. Moments like these were very rare between them. For Noire, it was always work and only work. She rarely had time to do sisterly things with Uni outside of quests and teaching her how to be a proper leader. If any good as come out of their predicament, is that she's been given a chance to right those wrongs.

She actually felt like a bigger sister to Uni.

"Oh, that's right. If you've been here for a few months now, and you met up with Lacoste, that means you've seen Neptune and Nepgear as well, right?"

"Not exactly… Nepgear, I have no clue where she is. Neptune, on the other hand…"

"I'm right here."

"…apparently, Lacoste said she's somewhere nearby, but I haven't seen her yet. I don't even know their current conditions or if Lacoste was telling the truth." Uni looked down and held her hand to her chest. "Nepgear… I really hope they're okay."

Noire rubbed Uni's back for a bit before standing up. She took the time to walk around the room, loosening her neck and shoulders. The mood has been depressing and she wanted to turn the negative air to something more positive.

And part of it was due to the self-image she had of herself because of her new style.

"Anyways, there's something I've been wondering… Why are you two working at a bar? …And why are you here as a dancer?"

Neptune shrugged. "We just happened to walk by and the boss here pretty much hired me on the spot. Uni called herself my manager and things went off right then and there."

"O-only because there's no way I could leave you alone in such a shady place."

"Oh, that's right. You only agreed to the contract the moment you saw me wearing those sexy bunny outfits. Bunnies sure do give an image of a friendly work environment."

"Sh-shut… shut up…!"

_I guess she's not satisfied with just Nepgear_. Noire chuckled as she rolled her eyes, but she immediately averted her gaze and hid her blush the moment Neptune appeared at the corner of her eye.

"Do you have to keep wearing that outfit?"

"What, this?" Neptune put on the bunny ear headband and flicked her fluffy bunny tail. "I'm still on the clock, so yeah."

"You have… customers to attend to?"

"Oh, yeah. Always. I think all the other gals are getting  _pretty_  jealous at the amount of clients I get on a daily basis."

Noire had her hand on her face. It was hard for her to not feel embarrassed seeing Neptune wear such an outfit and felt flustered hearing her talking about her work-life like it was normal.

"So, what  _exactly_  do you do? With your… clients?"

"Hm?" Neptune held a finger to her chin. "Oh, nothing much, really."

Uni sighed. "She just talks to them."

"'Talks'?" Noire blinked.

"Unlike all the other girls, Neptune just lets their clients talk about how their day went. It gets the stress off their chest and they really adore how attentive she is. Apparently, that's what brings customers back here."

The sheer disappointment in Uni's voice made Noire's eye twitch in disturbance.

"Wait, what now? Are you saying that's not what I was supposed to do? What did they expect me to do with such sad, miserable people?"

"That being said, Noire." Uni flipped through the pages clipped onto her clipboard. "There is  _one_  client that I believe is an absolute must for you to meet."

"What? Why me? Do I know this person?"

"I probably should have mentioned it sooner, but… I missed you. So… Neptune."

Neptune grabbed a hold of Noire's hand and led her to the door. "C'mon, it's this way."

They left the dressing room and entered the dark hallway once again. Slow jazz music echoed throughout the hallway. The girls on stage must still be dancing, Noire thought, although she tried not to think much of it. It was taking her eyes awhile to adjust, so she made sure to stick close to Neptune as she led her to a door further down the hallway.

She opened the door and a light appeared in the middle of the darkness revealing a plain, smaller room.

And there she was. Sitting on a single soft chair in the middle of the room was Lacoste. The three entered the room and with each step, an ominous aura seemed to devour them. Noire's heart beated faster and her spine wanted to burst free from her body.

The person that brought them all to this mysterious place was right here. In front of them. Could they end it right now?

Lacoste took her time to eye Noire up and down. She raised an eyebrow, but then she started hacking uncontrollably into her arm to the point that her eyes became watery.

"W-where did you get those clothes?"

"Is that important?" Noire said. Although it already seemed as if Lacoste had lowered her guard, Noire didn't want to show any bit of weakness just in case. She was just confused as to why her clothes were given that sort of reaction from Lacoste.

"N-nevermind." Lacoste cleared her throat and waved to Noire. "Come, come. Let's have some fun."

There was an enchanting melody playing through the air as a flashing light appeared in front of Noire. As the light faded, an identical chair appeared in front of Lacoste.

Noire sat down with caution. Uni and Neptune stood on both sides. As long as they were together, Noire felt they could overcome this. But what were they to do? What does Lacoste want?

"Welcome to the land of the living, Noire." Lacoste crossed her legs.

Noire mimicked the same motion. If anything, her new clothes did help with the "cool" image she was trying to portray. Of course, Lacoste wasn't a slouch in her fashion sense as well. Dark clothes and a gray poncho that fit with the cities dark, gloomy, cyberpunk atmosphere — she was definitely used to the place.

Lacoste snickered. "Why do you look so serious? Aren't we just having a chat? If one of us has to be mad, it should be me. After all, you're butting in my fun time." Another melody played and a flashing light appeared, spawning a table with a bottle of champagne in front of Uni. "It's my first time here, you know."

"So, you knew I would be here."

Lacoste shrugged. "Mayhaps."

"Then, let's get straight to the point. Get us back home."

"Woah, super straight to the point." Lacoste took a deep breath. "No."

"And why is that?"

"Whaaat? Do I have to spell it out for you? It's fun this way. You have to figure out how to return yourself. It's no fun if someone tells you how to beat the game."

Noire breathed slowly. She didn't want to show her frustration, but she was about to burst a blood vessel. "Okay, then tell us what we need to do to return to Gamindustri."

Lacoste had a disgusted look on her face. "You rely on a quest tracker? Yuck." She rolled her eyes which almost made Noire want to stand up and choke her. "Are you that desperate to leave already?"

"Excuse me? Of course. You may not have noticed, but you forced us here against our will. I don't know where or  _what_  this place is or  _how_  you brought us here. The fact that I can't transform to HDD means we're not in the vicinity of Gamindustri. Not to mention I was already  _dead_. I don't know what you're planning, Lacoste, but it's time to end it, or I'll stop you myself here and now."

"Shut up." Lacoste clenched her teeth, her fingers digging into the armrests of her chair. "Is it that damn hard for you to just shut up and—…"

Lacoste smacked her face with both hands, covering her eyes. A single tear managed to escape and run down her cheek. Noire was taken aback by her sudden outburst, but now she was starting to feel she was a bit too harsh. Then again, what could she have done other than show hostility towards her captor?

Seeing Lacoste like this, however, made her look less like a villain.

"You know, it's funny," Lacoste said, trying to hold in her tears. "Back in Lastation, you were interrogating me. Now here we are, and you're still interrogating me."

Lacoste looked away and held her hand to her face like a cool villain would, but between her fingers, she couldn't hide the tears welling up in her eyes.

"I don't even know the name of this place," Noire said in an attempt to change the subject momentarily.

But all it did was turn Lacoste's face even redder. "…I haven't thought that far yet…"

"…Excuse me?"

"…La…"

"La…?"

"L-la… Lacostation."

"…Lacostation."

"Lacostation!"

Noire almost regretted to even ask. "Is this… not the city you've been talking about?"

"What did you say?" Lacoste pouted. "My city is not out of control like this one."

Noire was even more confused. She thought she had pieced all the puzzles together, but unless Lacoste was playing dumb, Noire was left with an even larger hole.

"So, you're  _not_  the CPU of this nation?"

"I feel you are insulting me and I never thought it would hurt this much. No, I'm not the CPU and there is no CPU of this nation whatsoever."

"But, the CPU had gone missing and the people here waited for her to come back, started a government, and split the population between the government and its people. That's why a protest is happening, isn't that right?"

Lacoste's eyes twitched. "Are you seriously making up some super deep lore on the spot? Even I can't do that." Lacoste slammed her fist on her lap. "This is why they never let me be Dungeon Master!"

Noire was speechless at that last comment. Were they even on the same page? No, they probably weren't even on the same library.

Lacoste waved her hand. "No, this place is just one of my many domains. A world  _I_  created. I simply created a setting and a goal. A goal for you, because for you, this is all just a game."

"A 'game'?"

"That's right. Nepgear and small Neptune should already know how this works. It's as simple as beating the game and the prize is your freedom."

Uni tugged on Noire's shoulder. "Neptune and I have been here for months and this is the first time we've heard about such a game."

"I'm not a big fan of miss-able party members. I wanted to wait until Noire woke up so  _eeee_ veryone can take part in the fun. It took a while because I ran out of orange smoke."

It was still hard to believe, but there wasn't a reason not to believe her. Clearly, Lacoste is far more powerful than she lets herself on and Noire didn't want to mess with her. Being able to create a world at a whim was unheard of, but if there was a clear cut goal to getting out of here, then fine, she'll play her little game.

"You said something about Neptune and Nepgear."

"Oh, yeah, they've been through this before. A different game, but same rules. Beat the game, you're free."

"Then the next question is simple. How do we beat the game?"

She reached down the neck of her poncho and pulled out a key attached around her neck. "See this? You need this. It leads to the director's room."

"Then it's easy. We just take that key from you, get to your room, and then we'll be able to leave. Is that it?"

"You think  _I'm_  the director?" Lacoste waved her finger. "No, an AI supercomputer is the brain and heart of this city. You need this key to get in that room and defeat it. Only then are you able to leave."

Lacoste casted her eyes towards the floor. "I'm not able to manage my own nation, anyway…" She spoke those words to herself for no one else to hear, but Noire managed to hear a good bit of it.

Noire stood from her seat and stepped towards Lacoste, towering over her. "It doesn't change anything. We'll be taking that key now."

The look of depression that veiled Lacoste's true nature shattered the moment a shit-eating smirk formed across her face. "Oh, Uni."

"N-Now?"

Noire wondered what that quick exchange was about, but before she could turn to see Uni, Uni had already grabbed Noire's hands and held her arms behind her back, locking her wrists together with handcuffs.

"Uni? What's the meaning of this?"

"Noire, I-I'm—…"

"Sorry, Noire," Neptune said. She knew that Uni couldn't handle capturing her own sister, so she moved Uni to the side and held onto Noire's arms herself.

"I-I… I… N-no, I…"

"Are you… betraying me?"

Uni's hands were shaking, her head about to explode from being unable to comprehend her own actions. "No! N-no, I— I just—… She… You… came back… She said—…"

"Lacoste came to us the first few days we arrived," Neptune said. "If we promised to comply to her demands, she'd return you to us and let us return home together. Sorry, but this is just part of that."

"And I kept my side of the bargain."

"So, this was planned."

Noire accepted that part of reality, but she couldn't help but feel ultimate betrayal by her own little sister. Seeing Uni's mental breakdown was nothing short of pitiful at this point. Unable to form simple sentences, the only thing coming out of her mouth was noise, drowning in her own tears, choking on them.

She was telling herself that it wasn't Uni's fault. It couldn't have been. They were in this situation because of Lacoste.  _She_  took advantage of Uni's vulnerability.

Lacoste walked up and wrapped her arms around a broken Uni, holding her in an embrace that would, hopefully, soothe her heart and calm her down. She did this without taking her eyes off Noire. "You're so mean, letting her cry like this. She was just doing it for  _you_. The workaholic, no time for fun with friends or family, always ready to neglect others, CPU of Lastation."

Every word of hers was like stab wounds through Noire's heart, but none made her snap more than what came out of Lacoste's mouth next.

"So, you used up my time I could have spent with Neptune, and seeing how she has her hands busy dealing with you, well…" She brushed her fingertips against Uni's chin. "How about I take this little one for a spin?"

And that was it.

With Neptune's grasp still around her wrists, Noire flipped her over her back like a judo throw, causing Neptune to hit and turn over the cushioned chair.

She charged at Lacoste, bashing her with her shoulder and pinning Lacoste against the near wall. She kicked behind her, knocking the small table and flipping the champagne bottle up into the air.

She spun and extended her leg as the champagne bottle came near contact between Lacoste's face and Noire's foot, but a large tremor forced Noire off her foot. A deafening blast filled her ears with ringing and the room was filled with smoke and debris. She was handcuffed, so she couldn't cover her mouth from the debris and started coughing as her lungs burned. She couldn't see a thing past the smoke until a slight movement in front of her caused the path in front of her to disperse and saw Lacoste standing in front of her with Uni's limp body laying in her arms.

Lacoste was about to get away and there was nothing Noire could do about it. She was mocking her, she thought, but Noire had a look at her face. Again, it was a face that didn't belong to someone who would torment them like this. A playful smile she imagined the Lacoste she first met at her basilicom would always have. Even now, Noire couldn't help but think  _why_.

Lacoste's lips moved. Noire couldn't hear anything but the constant ringing, but she watched her lips as they formed the words: "Have fun, please?"

Lacoste turned her back towards the fallen Noire and disappeared behind the veil of debris. After a moment, the ringing slowly stopped, but was replaced by constant noise just as loud. The same noise she heard before she entered the bar. Rioting. The debris dispersed and appeared orange flames behind two bright, blinding lights. Noire crawled to the side and saw that a large truck had ran through and demolished the entire wall of the room they were in while a massive riot was taking place right behind it.

She saw a body twitch right next to her. It was Neptune, she had just woken up after getting knocked out by the blast.

"Neptune, are you all right? I'm sorry, but you have to get out of here,  _fast_."

Neptune rubbed the back of her head. "Where's… Where's my manager?"

"Lacoste took her. Listen, you must get  _yourself_  to safety. Go through the front and find somewhere safe. I'll find Uni and Lacoste."

"But your handcuffs! I… Shoot, I don't have the keys."

"Forget it. Just take care of yourself, okay?"

Neptune gritted her teeth, regretting what happened that led up to now. "I'm sorry…"

Noire shook her head and gave Neptune a reassuring smile. "You did what you had to do."

The building shook and pieces of the ceiling collapsed around them. Fire started spreading into the room from the outside. If they stayed for any moment longer, there would be no escape.

"Go!" Noire pushed Neptune away, giving them both a chance to escape. Neptune, realizing wasting anymore time would end her life, finally ran off, leaving Noire behind.

Noire dodged the flames and ran out through the hole that the truck blasted through, barely escaping with her life as the ceiling fully collapsed, leaving behind nothing but rubble and no way back.

The lamps and neon signs that once lit the area had blacked out and replaced by the fluorescence of torches like will-o'-wisps. People were running one way as if they were soldiers about to assault a castle, carrying torches, signs, stakes, throwing rocks, Molotov cocktails, and handmade EMP grenades.

They were hurting themselves more so than trying to harm whatever enemy they banded together to fight against. Was this even a protest anymore?

Noire moved along and followed the course of the rampaging rioters as to not get trampled over. She had to keep moving even if she didn't want to. People were on the ground injured, some were unnecessarily destroying property, others attacking others for no reason. A flying car had been struck by thrown stake, causing it to fly off course and skid against the face of a building. The debris and broken glass had fallen on top of some of the protesters below.

If only she could transform. She could have stopped all this once and for all.

This total nightmare had made Noire forget what she was doing in the first place.

Noire escaped into the nearest alleyway to clear her thoughts. It was hectic. It was impossible to recognize what part of the city she was in. Even though she didn't want to admit it, she had to give up trying to find out where Lacoste went. A strategic break, she tried to convince herself. Besides, what  _can_  she do out there?

The feeling of being in the dark alleyway was weird. Usually, she would be wary, but right now, it was a sanctuary. There were a few homeless people in rags. An expected sight, but they were probably here more so to get away from the violence out there. There were even regular folk hiding out here. Students, business people, everyday joes.

Some were huddled up together sharing a single blanket. Some were huddled up around a barrel on fire. Her heart was out to them. If this were her city, these were the people she wanted to help the most. Even if the protesters were fighting for a cause worth fighting for, it just isn't worth it if people are getting hurt by it.

The ultimate goal is to take Lacoste's key, defeat the director, and then return to Gamindustri.

But would Noire truly be satisfied with just that?

Noire scanned the area once more, looking at the faces of all the people she walked by. She accidentally stepped on someone's foot as she turned a corner.

"Oops, sorry, I didn't mean to— wait a minute…"

Her eyes had to adjust to the darkness, but there was just barely enough light to make out the shape of a small girl sitting with her arms around her knees. Her hood was hiding her head, but she didn't need to know what he face looked like. There was only one person she knew who wore a baggy white and purple parka.

Noire's eyes widen in hopes her guess was correct. "Neptune…?"

She pulled her knees in closer, burying her head deeper between her legs. Noire could have sworn she heard a whimper.

Noire got to her knees and reached out, but Neptune whined some more and scooted a bit further away, covering her head with her arms. Noire still didn't back down. She reached out and held Neptune's shaking arms, caressed them through her sleeves as she ran her hands towards Neptune's hood. She pinched the hem of the hood and, for a moment, her heart almost jumping through her throat as she reveal what was under it.

A large, gnarly red mark occupied one side of Neptune's face. Her bubbly, childish, cute face was now bruised and bloodied. It was a sight that no one in any universe would have imagined to see. Like a mawed rabbit, a crushed squirrel, or a skinned hamster. Gruesome things you never want to see happen to the embodiment of cuteness. Yet, here she was, trying desperately to look into Neptune's eyes, only to be pulled like a magnet towards the wound on her delicate face.

"N-Noire… Don't…"

Noire ignored her and pulled her in, wrapping her arms tightly around Neptune's body. There was no care in the world whether or not her hug was hurting Neptune more than the wound on her face.

At this moment, she wanted her more than any other time they've been together. Her peace. Her embrace. Her treasure. This cherishing moment.

Because this would be the last time before her rage ends up having Lacoste burned on a stake.


	5. Noire Fiction, Part 3

**Part 19**

Neptune leaned against a wall in an empty alleyway, twirling a set of open handcuffs around her finger. She helped Noire remove them by finding various pieces scattered around and jamming them together until it resulted in a janky-looking key that was somehow able to unlock the specialised handcuffs. Trial and error, as they say. Who knew a straw, a bent nail, and some string could be so useful?

Yeah, this place was definitely Lacoste's doing all right.

Neptune was waiting outside of what seemed to be an abandoned warehouse, the main base of a group of influential people partly responsible for the chaos happening around the city. It wasn't Neptune's first time here, in fact. She had caught wind that some of the protesters were orchestrating the movement and she figured that as the main protagonist, it was her duty to stop such activities. Unfortunately, there are times when protagonists run into an obstacle halting their progress and leave a giant mark on their face.

Wasn't this story supposed to be about fanservice, wish fulfillment, and spanking hot transforming Goddesses?

When Noire learned about what happened, she was persistent in getting Neptune to tell her who they were and where they were located. She was, well…  _scary_ , to say the least, something that Neptune was even surprised to see. She actually felt pretty violated after she gave Noire the information and showed her the way to the warehouse.

Trying her best to keep from nodding off, the door in front of her opened, snapping her out of her trance.

"Was no one in there?" Neptune said.

"No, they were there," Noire said as she wiped her hands with a handkerchief.

"…Theeen…?"

"One does not open a door intended to be locked."

"I have no idea what you said, nor do I have any idea what it meant. I simply request to never hear you attempt any philosophical one-liners within hearing distance of my poor little ears."

Noire was about to respond to that quip, but instead she couldn't help letting out a sigh with a smile seeing Neptune's attitude hadn't changed. Even with the large eye-sore on Neptune's face, she was still the same old Neptune and change of scenery hadn't managed to ruin that either.

Noticing Noire staring at her for an awful awhile, Neptune turned away and pulled the side of her hoodie to cover up the side of her face with the scar. You wouldn't think Neptune was the kind of girl who took skincare seriously, but in reality, she was becoming very self-conscious about others seeing her once-flawless cheeks now tarnished like a planet with flourishing wildlife and vegetation now ruined by an exterminatus. She never had to worry about something like this before.

She was the main protagonist after all!

Noire giggled. It was like a kitty hiding under a blanket. The kitty would be cuter, of course, she stammered.

"Let's go." Noire walked ahead. "We're not done." Noire walked ahead.

"Huh? Is there another meeting I don't know about?"

"No, but there's one more person I have to deal with."

And just as Noire expected, Neptune grabbed her arm and held her from taking another step.

"Let go," Noire said.

"Lacoste is our friend."

"Yeah, I heard you the first time." Noire took her hand back and placed in on her waist. She was getting tired of Neptune defending Lacoste. She couldn't comprehend it. Neptune kept telling her none of this was Lacoste's fault, but how could it not? Even if this whole thing, this  _game_ , was just for fun, it had already gone past the point of it going too far.

"No matter what, unless you agree to play the game, I'm not letting you near Lacoste."

"If this is a game, that means we have to defeat her, right? No matter what, we're going to have to face off with her and I'll be the one to beat her senseless."

"See, that's what I'm talking about! Cold Heart doesn't understand that this is all just for  _fun_."

Noire clicked her tongue. "Look at yourself," she snapped back, flipping Neptune's hoodie behind her head. "You call that fun? You honestly think I'll let her get away with doing that to you?"

Neptune quickly pulled her hoodie back over her head and turned away. "Maybe I deserved it."

"You, what?"

"Maybe I deserved it!" She started walking away before Noire can say anything else.

Noire watched Neptune's back as the smaller girl went off further and further away. She was exhausted trying to get Neptune to think about their situation seriously, but that was going to be a lost cause at this point if Neptune refused to be on her side. Why did she have to be so stubborn? Still, this apparently wasn't the first time Neptune got pulled into one of Lacoste's games, so she has more experience with this. Did Lacoste have a reason for taking us here? Did she want something? Was she trying to prove a point? Maybe there was a way to end this all peacefully, but she needed to find out how.

Noire sighed. She was going to have to go with it, huh? "Fine," she groaned loud enough to make sure Neptune heard her. She turned around and saw Noire running after her. "I'll play along, but you better know what you're doing."

Neptune's face slowly turned to one of the happiest looks Noire had ever seen, but before she could burn that image into her head, Neptune leaped at her and tackled her to the ground.

"Yippee~ Lonely Heart is gonna learn how to have fun! Ready Player Two— waah!"

Neptune jumped off to the side, her head burned in her arms.

"N-Neptune, what's the matter?"

"It… It burns…"

Noire twitched. Neptune forgot about the wound on her face when she tried to rub their cheeks together. It must have been excruciating.

"Hey," Noire patted Neptune's shoulder. "There's someone I know that might be able to help you with that."

They headed towards the end of the alleyway where one portion of the protesting took the streets. They didn't expect the protest to end just because Noire had taught the leader a lesson. There was probably a number of other leaders orchestrating this huge movement. Fortunately, the protesters on this side of the city have yet to break out in a full out riot.

Something clicked in Noire's head. She scanned her surroundings, took a deep breath, and immersed herself for just a moment in this world. This scenery looked vaguely familiar. It was reminiscent of a certain video game that became a hit throughout the city. Even Uni wouldn't leave her room for weeks until she beat it multiple times in a row. It was just that fun, apparently.

_Fun, huh?_

Noire grasped Neptune's hand and led her towards the place where Noire's… new friend lives.

**Part 20**

Uni hugged her like it was the last time they would ever see each other for the rest of their lives. Being able to feel Nepgear's warmth for the first time in months was making Uni's eyes water. She wanted this moment to last forever.

"Goodness. I missed you, too."

Uni had just woken up from slumber and through the cracks of her eyes was the blurry image of Nepgear. When her vision cleared and confirmed the person watching her, her emotions burst through. The last thing she could remember was the club and committing her ultimate sin; turning against Noire. It had destroyed her within, but the sight, the sound, the touch — Nepgear was her medicine and her kryptonite.

The world was coming back to her.

"Where are we?" Uni said.

"In your room. Well, for now, anyway."

It wasn't all that fancy or luxurious. It was a simple room of adequate size and a queen size bed that felt like the stomach of a giant soot sprite.

"Where have you been this whole time?" Uni said.

"I had a bit of trouble getting things started…" Nepgear broke the hug (and shattered Uni from the inside, but there was no way she would let Nepgear know that) and sat down on the bed next to her. "…but now that you're here, things can finally start going smoothly, right—…?"

Uni didn't quite catch what she said at the end. Her mind was mixed with exhaustion and the fervent desire to see Nepgear's face for much longer, but at the corner of her eye, she noticed a girl walking towards them. The girl responsible for this whole incident.

Lacoste waved two fingers. "Heyo~ I got the water running, so if you want—"

"Stay back!" Uni jumped to her feet and stood in between in an attempt to protect Nepgear. "I don't know what you're planning, but whatever it is, Nepgear is the last person I'll have you touch!"

Lacoste stared at her own hands before looking at Uni in confusion. "But I've touched her all over already?"

"I'm gonna— w-what?" Numerous possibilities streamed through Uni's head faster than the rapid fire of one of her assault rifles.

"Yeah, we took a bath just a moment ago."

Uni stood still, her mind half-broken trying to contemplate what Lacoste was saying. She took… a bath… with Nepgear? Uni twisted those words in any shape and form she could to find the threat in it, but to no avail. They took a bath… together? Nepgear… bathed… without… what?

"By the way, I kept the water running in case you wanted a turn. You smell like gunpowder, you know? Did you ever take a bath— uwah!?"

Uni smacked the living daylights out of Lacoste with the bed pillow. The first hit was satisfying enough, but she wanted to release all her frustration by pummeling her non-stop.

"What the goodness?" Nepgear cried out as she grabbed Uni from behind. "Wait, Uni!"

"Let me  _go_ , Nepgear. I'm about to beat her until she brings us home."

Each swing broke through the air like a lion's roar. Every time the pillow made contact with Lacoste, it was like sandbags hitting concrete. Each hit was fortified by her pent up frustration, her anger, her will to protect her friends and bring everyone back home by defeating the girl who was the source of their suffering. Okay, part of it was because she was embarrassed about her smell, but still.

Nepgear couldn't watch her closest friend lose herself in a rage any longer. She normally wouldn't do it this way, but she had no choice. She clenched her fist on her chest and apologized before throwing herself at Uni, tackling the Lastation candidate to the floor.

"N-Nepgear!?"

"Please, stop it." Nepgear's eyes were starting to glisten. "Lacoste is our friend. I'm not letting you hurt her anymore."

Uni was trapped under Nepgear's body. Nepgear wasn't all that heavy, not at all. She was as light as air. But Uni was too dumbstruck to move at all, thinking what was going on anymore. Why was Nepgear defending Lacoste? Why was Nepgear making Lacoste out as the  _victim_?  _She's_  the one who brought them here. Everyone was separated and lost with no clue where to go or where to start finding a way back home. And it was all because of  _her_. She had no idea if her friends and loved ones were even in the same place or even alive, and she had to go through each and every day wondering if she'll ever go back home or see Nepgear or Noire one more time.

Noire…

Uni choked up, her tears spilling down her cheeks. "This bitch took Noire from me," she yelled. It frightened Nepgear, but she made sure to keep a tighter hold around Uni's chest. "She took her away and I couldn't see her…" Despite her face already being smeared with tears, she still tried to constrain her sobbing. "And after being able to be with my sister again after so long, the first thing I did… was  _lie_  to her… and betray…"

"I'm sorry…" Those words barely reached Uni's ears.

Uni opened her tear-filled eyes and turned her head towards Lacoste. Her arms were covering her head and her body was curled up in the fetal position. Uni was filled with such rage she hadn't realized how vulnerable Lacoste was and how hard she was hitting her with the pillow.

But that was okay, right? She  _is_  the enemy. That's what Uni believed, but then Nepgear hurried over to Lacoste's side.  _Why?_  Why was Nepgear comforting the person that started all this? She is their enemy.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

…Right?

"I know I messed up again… I got angry and went too far… I didn't mean to mess it up this bad…"

"Uni, do you think Noire would hate you for what you did?" Nepgear looked at Uni with a smile. "Because, out of everyone, I doubt she would hold a grudge against you. Even if it made her angry, don't you think she would be understanding if your actions were for the right reasons?"

Uni looked at her with an unknowingly straight face. She wasn't sure what her face looked like to Nepgear. Mentally and emotionally damaged, not only did she not know what to think, but she wasn't even sure if she was reacting to Nepgear's question. Noire wouldn't be mad at her for long, would she? But, she was her sister, the closest and most trusted person in her life. Always by her side and following in her footsteps, only to break that relationship with a stab in the back. How could Noire even think about forgiving her? How could Uni even forgive herself or have the confidence to look at her older sister again?

"It's okay," Nepgear said. "My sister and I, we had no idea what to do when we were trapped in one of Lacoste's dimensions, too. We both kinda lost it when we were at our wit's end…" She averted her gaze for a moment. "I think I might have exceedingly lost it… Goodness, it's embarrassing to think about."

She brushed the bangs away Lacoste's face and smiled at her, nodding. Lacoste turned her eyes to Uni before getting up to her knees. Nepgear continued, "That's why, after all of this is over, Noire would come— no, she  _will_  come to understand why you did what you had to do, because you're sisters, after all. And at the end of the day, all of this is about having fun, right, Lacoste?"

Uni was still wary of Lacoste's presence. Nepgear may have trusted her, but… how could she ever trust in the girl who took them all away from their homes and separated them? But one thing echoed in Uni's mind.  _Fun_. Fun about what? Lacoste did mention this was actually a game. They were inside a game. A video game? It wouldn't be the weirdest, nor the most unique, thing to have ever happened to them, but after all that's happened, it was hard to believe any of this would be just for "fun".

"I'm sorry," Lacoste said, bowing her head as she put her hands down in front of her. "I was just… angry."

" _You're_  angry?" Uni wasn't buying it. "What would  _you_  be angry about?"

"Well, I guess… I would say cultural differences, but that wouldn't be true at all. Perhaps, jealousy, but that wouldn't be the whole truth. Do you remember what I said about my nation?"

Uni raised an eyebrow, still wary of where this conversation was going. "You mean how technologically advanced your nation is compared to ours? Are you trying to say this is your way of invading?"

"No!" Lacoste cried. "I would never invade anyone. I can't… I wouldn't be able to. It's just… Lastation reminds me so much of my home, and that's why I fell in love with the place the moment I stepped foot within the city, but at the same time, the similarities reminded me why… why I'm unfit to be a CPU."

"That can't be," Nepgear said. "What makes you think you're unfit?"

"Look at me. Do I look like someone who could lead a nation? When I was standing on the balcony outside Noire's office, I saw children playing. One of the kids kicked a ball too far, and it went over the others. It landed near a business woman's feet, but she looked at the children with contempt and went off her way. It broke my heart to see that with my own eyes and then I hear Noire wouldn't be able to join us due to work… I was angry. I was angry at how she couldn't push her work aside to go with her friends, but that's just me being selfish, isn't it?"

"I don't think you're being selfish," Nepgear said. "Everyone knows Noire takes her work seriously. Uni can testify to that. No one blames her for how she treats her job. It's the reason why Lastation is such a wonderful nation, right? She puts her nation as her priority and carries it on her shoulders. I wish Neptune could take her work more seriously, but that's how she is and all of Planeptune loves her and looks up to her. So, it doesn't matter whether you're the type of leader who's a workaholic like Noire, or a—"

"Stop it, Nepgear," Uni said sternly. She was staring dead set at Lacoste. "I never gave much thought about it before. I was busy prioritizing ways on how to defeat you, but I had my suspicions during the meeting at the club. Actually, I had my suspicions back when you first came to us the first day you brought us here." Uni got up and stretched her back before sitting on the bedside. She made sure her voice projected clearly and heavy enough to hit Lacoste like a sledgehammer. "You told the bigger Neptune and I to 'have fun'. Multiple times, in fact. You even said it to Noire. Even back then you said this was all just a game. I thought you were just being metaphorical, but… While that may be true, then that would mean this place truly is… a video game. To go this far to teach Noire a lesson… you know you could have just talked about it with her, right? Besides, knowing her… she probably would have given in and came along anyway."

Nepgear switched her gaze back and forth between Uni and Lacoste. "Does that mean you forgive her, Uni?"

"Forgive? Well… I'm not mad, per say, and I do feel bad that Noire had that impression on you… But the problem I'm having is that I think I've learned something new just now."

Uni projected her voice so her words were clear and heavy enough as if they were bricks thrown at Lacoste's face. "This was never about Noire not wanting to come along, was it? It's the fact that Lastation, the nation you say is similar to yours, is ran by someone whose work ethic is the exact opposite of yours. And the punchline of it all? It's the reason why your nation left you behind a long time ago."

There was a dreadful aura in the air. Uni didn't show it, but the intensity strangled her. Did she go too far? Did she trigger something that made Lacoste snap? Even Nepgear looked at her with worried eyes asking what they should do. She probably should have just spat her once more and be done with it, but she couldn't help feeling like she was on a roll with her accusations.

But now they have to sit through the calm before the storm.

That storm came in the form of a fit of laughter. Uni was taken aback, because she expected something much worse. She felt embarrassed not knowing what to think.

"That was pretty good," Lacoste giggled. "I totally should have made the theme: mystery high school battle royale. You would have looked super cool as the main detective." She stood up and grabbed Nepgear's hand, sitting her next to Uni. "I think I'm able to trust the both of you."

"W-Wait a minute." Uni tried to stand up, but Lacoste took out her distaff and bonked Uni on the head, knocking her back down. A white cap appeared on her head and a black briefcase fell on her lap. Nepgear was also given a similar hat and briefcase.

Things were going too fast. One minute, Lacoste was drowning in sorrow. The next, Lacoste was as cheerful as she could be and is taking control of the situation again.

"You two look perfect. You were made for this role."

"Would you listen to me for a minute?" Uni said.

"Huh? But I've been listening to you this whole time."

"What's the meaning of all this? What are you trying to make us do?"

Lacoste sighed in irritation. "I thought you finally figured it by now. It's simple. I'm making you two my game moderators."

Nepgear tilted her head to the side. "You want us to moderate your game for you? How?"

"Easy." Lacoste opened her mouth and took a deep breath of air. "...Dunno. Just make sure things are running smoothly. Only intervene if you think the players are about to hit a dead end with no way of going back. Any questions?"

"Would you hold a just a minute for once?" Uni had had enough and wanted to get to the bottom of this. Everything was suddenly flying by so fast she couldn't keep up. She tried pull Lacoste back to her pace, but then something grabbed onto her wrist.

Uni inadvertently calmed down by a certain touch that was like a switch to her. Nepgear's hand. Nepgear had grabbed onto Uni's, and when Uni tried to look at Nepgear in the eye, she couldn't see them. Her face was hidden beneath her bangs, but Uni could feel it. It was cold like the air coming out of a slightly open fridge. But the question was why? Nepgear didn't say anything. Instead, she simply let go and stayed silent, leaving Uni confused for a moment. Uni turned her attention to Lacoste and noticed the impatient look on her face.

She was now too afraid to get confrontational.

"…What do you mean 'players'?" It wasn't the question she wanted to ask, but she decided it was best to go along with it.

"What? Do you have a problem with that terminology? This is already part three and the readers are probably going to get tired of all the questioning."

For some reason, the fourth wall being broken by someone other than Neptune was making Uni feel really pissed. "Aren't Nepgear and I also… uh… players?"

"I slipped up and Nepgear found me before I had everything set up, so I figured I should keep her on the sidelines. No cheating allowed." Lacoste rocked her hips back and forth while holding her hands behind her back. "I'm also… pretty bad at DMing a large party."

At that those words, Uni pretty much gave up, her jaw almost hitting the floor. "Sorry?"

"It's so hard when there are so many players, okay? It's hard to keep track of what everyone is doing, so I always needed help whenever it was my turn." Lacoste averted her eyes for a moment and spoke quietly enough to think no one would hear her. "I wouldn't be surprised if that's why I don't have any friends left."

"Hold on. You said something pretty important just now."

"Oh, that reminds me," Lacoste put her fist in her hand. "Nepgear had a present, right?"

Neptune held her hands together in excitement. "Oh, that's right. Uni, Lacoste and I made a surprise for you."

"Head next door where the computer room is. I actually wanted to show it to you earlier, but… you know, all that happened… I'm sorry."

Nepgear stood up and patted her sailor uniform down. "I'm going ahead. I want to make sure it's ready."

She skipped along with glee as she headed out the door. Just as when she disappeared around the corner, Lacoste readied herself and turned to leave.

"Hold up." To Uni's surprise, Lacoste stopped in her tracks, but she didn't turn around. "I don't trust you, but I trust Nepgear. I'm only doing this for her and for all of us to get out of here. So, if you do anything fishy, you're mine."

"Isn't the constant questioning tiring you out at all?" Lacoste looked over her shoulder. "The readers are going to think this subplot isn't going anywhere."

She then left the room and closed the door behind her.

Uni's heart was racing so much it hurt. She could hardly breathe. She was hot, sweaty. Something about Lacoste at that moment was different. Very different. Different from any of the weird moments during each of their encounters. It was nothing like the act she put on when she was with Noire, no, this was much worse. Worse, as in, she was dead serious. An aura so fierce, Uni didn't want to take a single step towards the door until she knew for sure the air turned back to normal.

Once it felt safe, she took a step forward, wary, as if she were on a balance beam a thousand feet up in the air. After a couple more steps, her heart calmed down. How long has she been standing there? Nepgear and Lacoste were probably still waiting.

Lacoste. She broke the fourth wall, didn't she? Something about that rubbed Uni the wrong way. Sure, Neptune did it all the time barring between funny and annoying, but it felt degrading hearing it from Lacoste's mouth.

And yet that wasn't what struck Uni the hardest. It wasn't the air. It wasn't the way Lacoste spoke.

It was those eyes, drilling deep into Uni's soul.

And naturally, Uni recognized those eyes anywhere.

"That was… HDD."

**Part 21**

There was a large medical patch pasted on one-half of Neptune's face.

"I didn't expect simple medkits to insta-heal instantly," Neptune said with a mouth full of biscuits.

"You're as fragile as a butterfly," Noire sighed.

Noire took Neptune to the apartment complex where the old man she met earlier. Has it been a day or only a couple hours? So much has happened and it doesn't seem the sun is getting any closer to rising.

When she knocked on the door and was greeted by a welcoming smile, the old man immediately brought them in the moment he laid eyes on Neptune's wound and quickly fetched for a large rucksack with a red plus sign on it containing a myriad of medical supplies.

"Modern medkits take a while to recuperate injuries, but they're still much more effective. These instant medkits are a very old model, but I still find them reliable after all these years."

"Now that I think of it, that medkit looks like it was from those old school action games, don't you think so, Noire?"

"Hmm, I think I've seen these in older shooters that Uni plays from time to time."

When the man placed the bag on the coffee table, it looked as if the bag was about to break through with its massive weight, but the man simply carried it away with one hand like it was a toy.

"You two can stay as long as you like," the man said. "I'll be back with some more snacks."

"Get that plate pilin' hot, ya' hear?" Neptune said as she used both her hands to devour a few more biscuits.

"What, don't be so rude," Noire spat. "Even though you're a patient for now, you're still a guest, so act like one."

"Speaking of Uni," Neptune derailing from Noire's laste statement, "did you ever meet up with her?"

Her shoulders deflated. "We did," she muttered as she managed a soft smile.

"Then why the long face?"

Noire clenched her fist as she remembered her meeting with Lacoste. "Uni is with…  _her_."

"Ohhh." Neptune nodded. She leaned back, arms behind her head. "So it's all good, then."

"' _All good_ '?" Noire snapped. "Lacoste has my  _sister_. She took her  _away_. She- she… she already had Uni in the palm of her hand… because I wasn't there for her."

"Because you've been stuck inside a cupboard this whole time."

"I don't want to talk about it," Noire sighed.

"I'm sure you're used to it, though."

"Please stop talking about it."

"Nice cosplay."

"Shut up!" Noire bonked her in the head with a pillow.

"But who put you in there in the first place? You couldn't have done it yourself. That is sadder than the actual canon."

Noire reached for a biscuit and swallowed it down with tea, ignoring anymore rambling about her embarrassing circumstances. "I can't believe how laid back you're being. I haven't seen Nepgear either. Aren't you worried that you'll never see her again? Or if we'll ever make it back home?"

"Huh? Why wouldn't we go back home?"

"Are you serious? What if we can't defeat Lacoste? What will happen if she wins and she keeps us here forever? We'll never return to Gamindustri and we'll be leaving our nations and everyone we know behind."

Neptune couldn't help but chuckle under her breath. "I know you hate losing and all, but boy, you sure make it seem so dramatic. Chillax, girl, it's cool. Haven't you ever heard of the saying: 'it's not whether you win or lose, but having fun'?"

Noire huffed. "That's the recurring theme, I guess."

"Right, so why are you so worried about not being able to go back to your lonely desk with mountains of paperwork? Just have fun. What, are you worried that you're going to have  _too_  much fun and decide never to go back home? Did I not run into the Noire I know, but a Noire from a dimension on the other side of the cosmic web?"

"It's not like we have a choice or anything. If we want to get back home, we must defeat Lacoste."

"Ohhh, is that what she told you? Ah! My bad. It's been awhile since I've relaxed in a cozy home eating treats that I forgot to stay in character." She reached for another biscuit only to realize there was none left. She picked up some of the crumbs and licked them off her fingers. "Okay, let Tutorial Master Neptune explain it to you. Whether we win or lose, we're still going back home."

"What?" Noire leaned forward from her seat. "How can you be so sure? She said so herself that the key to getting out of here is to get the key that's on her necklace and using that to reach the supercomputer AI that runs the city."

"Wow, that sure is an upgrade from the last one. It's just part of the story, Noire, relax. It's a game, remember? She's not going to keep us here against our will forever. Besides, if you care about winning so much, there's no need to worry. The. Champ. Is. Here."

Noire was looking too unsure about her odds. She picked up the last cookie and contemplated before taking a bite.

"Listen," Neptune assured her, "just think of this as one of those RPGs Vert plays during her days off - which is like every day, but you know what I mean - it's like that. Nepgear knows everything about it, too, and I'm sure Uni will figure it out herself. You, out of all people, should know Uni is capable of anything."

"I-I know. I know that. I'm just…" Lost. Confused. How could she just accept it as just a game after what just happened to her? To Neptune? ...To Uni? Far from home in a completely different world they have no idea where or how it exactly works. All due to a CPU from another country they had no idea existed. I was right all along, Noire thought. There was no way she could forgive Lacoste and have her get away with this, and yet the undignified Goddess next to her - who still hasn't clean of the crumbs off her cheek - was trying to convince her to was just fun and games. What was she to do? Let this all happen to them? She couldn't just sit back and do nothing - that was not the kind of Goddess she is. She needed to protect the ones she loved. She needed to protect Lastation. She needed to protect Uni. She needed to remove the invisible boulder that was crushing her shoulders. She needed to sprout those wings that were struggling to break free from her back. She needed to leave this apartment and run - run, run, run, until her legs were free from captivity that was her physical being, a useless husk. Trapped in a cocoon, wishing to break free, but to weak to break out.

She needed to be that lilac butterfly, fluttering with grace and happiness.

Noire traced the patterns on the carpet with her eyes. "I'll… I'll follow your lead. For now. You've known her longer than I have, so I assume you have a plan."

"That's the spirit. Now, before the rest of this chapter ends up having more dialogue than Re;birth 3, are there any more of those tasty pastries?"

And as if a godly being had granted Neptune's wish, her eyes sparkled the moment the scent of sweet cinnamon slammed her nose. In front of her, as if the angels opened up the sky and shone a ray of light on top of the coffee table, a large ceramic plate was placed on top with a variety of different sweets. Cinnamon buns, lemon pie, cheesecakes, macarons.

Neptune's eyes were filled with stars. "Shove an unholy Goddess-killing blade through my stomach, and I'll still die the happiest little Nep the world has ever seen."

"Don't say that," Noire said. But Neptune was right. To see so many desserts in a place like this; it was unbelievable. "Where did you learn to bake?"

The old man sat across from them. It took him some time, along with a grunt, to make himself comfortable in his seat.

"Once you spend many years seeing the stuff I saw, doing the stuff I did, you'll realize that learning a hobby makes life a little bit more… happier." He sighed in reminiscent of his youth as he took a bite out of a macaron. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. You seem to be in quite a trouble."

"You heard, huh?" Noire scratched the back of her head.

She wasn't sure what to say. From the information she gathered, this world was nothing but a creation of Lacoste. A game. This world wasn't even real, and neither were its inhabitants, but even so, the people here seemed  _real_. And it was hard to say that the person she was talking to at this very instance was at all a fake.

"I guess you can say that. In fact, while I was out, I learned some new information and would like to ask you a question that might help us out."

"Oh? Then let's hear it."

"Well, you see, the last time I was here you said your daughter used to be friends with a long lost CPU. By any chance, was that CPU's name… 'Lacoste'?"

The man looked into Noire's eyes, reaching for that piece of information far away in his memories. He shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I don't remember her name, but I'm certain it was not that."

"Oh, you don't have to apologize. I just had to make sure."

Neptune devoured each cinnamon bun one by one, never having either of her hands without a pastry. "But you have a daughter? What's her name?"

"Would you stop talking with your mouth full?" Noire pinched Neptune's thigh.

The man reached over to the table lamp next to him and picked up a small frame. He stared at it for a good while with a smile on his face before handing it over to Noire. "Her name is Noitca."

"'Nautica'?" Neptune said with a mouthful of pastries before swallowing in one gulp.

Noire started stabbing her with her eyes. "That's rude."

"Whaaat? None of us has a proper voice, so I had to guess. We might as well make it easier for the readers. Let's just call her Nowa-two."

"W-what? I-It's nothing like my name!"

The old man laughed. "I want to be honest with you. I can see my Noitca and her friends as I watch the two of you."

"I'm surprised that a unique personality like mine reminds you of someone else," Neptune said, "but I understand Noire fitting in some sort of overused trope."

"I-I have unique character traits."

"Oh, I know. You don't have to remind me."

"Why are you rolling your eyes? Stop laughing." She kicked her shin from under the table. "I deeply apologize for her  _rude_ ness."

The man laughed. "No, it's okay. Eat to your heart's content. Both of you must be exhausted, so I want you to relax."

"Yeah, Noire, ouchies. Relaaaax. Once we're done here, we'll find Lacoste, beat the final boss, and  _danadanaaa~_  we're out of here."

"You're making it sound like we just have to walk in there, bop Lacoste on the head, and then win."

"You're speaking to the gal that beat Lacoste's first game easy-peasy, lemon pastry."

Noire raised an eyebrow. "Is it anything like we're in now?"

"More or less." Neptune shrugged.

Noire rolled her eyes. "First things first," she said with her arms and legs crossed. "Not only do we not have access to shares, we also don't have any weapons.

"Stop your worrying," Neptune said as she leaned back against the arm of the couch and pointed at the wall. "We have everything we need."

"Are you insane? Those are just decorations."

The man stood up with a grunt. Today was probably the most he had ever moved in a while. He went over to the wall and wrapped his arm around a mannequin dressed up in an old war uniform. "These aren't just decorations. They're my pride and joy. Many are from my more active days during my youth, and some are gifts from old friends. Oh, and not to mention, they're  _real_."

"Aw  _nep_  yes." Neptune hopped over the back of the couch and picked up a weapon from its hooks. She fit her fist inside its sheath and made chainsaw noises with her lips, emulating the spinning blade on its end.

"C-Careful with that," Noire said with her eyes as white as a ghost. "What do you mean they're 'real'?"

"They are the real deal." He touched one of the many weapons and sighed, remembering the memories of his youth.

Neptune grabbed another weapon to pose with. "I don't know what kind of barn you grew up in, but never mind all that."

Noire could have sworn she saw electric sparks coming out of its barrel twin-prong barrel. "Don't we need to just, you know, beat her  _convincingly_?"

"Hm? Nah, you're right." Neptune dropped the weapon on the floor and went back to looking at all the rest. "This is more Uni's hobby."

"I can't dare imagine… This isn't a military armory, you know."

"Big guy, do you have anything the main protagonist of a video game would use?"

"'Main protagonist'?"

Noire facepalmed. "Please ignore her."

"I'm the kind of gal that gets up close and personal."

The man held his chin for a moment before grabbing a crowbar and wrench with his large hand.

"Close, but not my style. Do you have something more… traditional? A sword, mayhaps?"

"Ah, you don't want a sword," he said.

"Uh, yes, I do."

"Believe me. You don't."

"Are you trying to save me from being manipulated by aliens who are trying to take away all the world's pudding by forcing me to use a sword and not a weapon that could wipe out the evil alien race forever? If so, thanks, I appreciate it, but I prefer using a sword."

"There are worse things to worry about than aliens."

Noire buried her head in shame. She had pretty much given up at this point. If he was able to succumb to Neptune's antics, then no one in any dimension could ever hope to resist.

_It does look fun, though_ , Noire thought to her lonesome self. If they get to keep them, is there anything Uni would like?

The man left the room and came back with a long bag used to carry swords. He zipped it open and pulled out a long blade with a golden hilt. Neptune's eyes sparkled from its beauty.

"Now that's what I call a sword."

"This is an ancient katana that was passed down to me during the darkest days of my life. I never thought I would ever willingly touch it ever again."

"Ooh, mysterious lore usually means powerful endgame loot. Yeah, I know how this works."

Noire didn't look too convinced. "Are you sure it's okay for us to take them? …And are you sure it's okay for you to be swinging that around?"

The old man gave a thumbs up. "From what you've told me, you need these more than I do. I'll help out as much as I can. Now, little girl, let me tell you a secret about that katana."

"Whoa, look what I did."

It was too late to be giving lessons to Neptune. With a single saying, the katana cut through the air and sliced open a pocket of space-time.

Time-space.

Whatever it's called.

"I can see my future in the past taking place in the past of the future." Neptune's eyes were sparkling even brighter than before. "I think this is how we're going to do the transition."

"Wait a minute, don't rush the scene like that—  _hey_!" Neptune had grabbed her hand, and before she knew it, they were already halfway through the portal.

"Thanks for your service, Mr. Veteran, but we're going to take a quick intermission."

"Don't forget this."

Noire thought fast enough to catch the assault rifle, but was still lost in a daze as she left the cozy living room and into a swirling vortex of various points in time. When she came to her senses and trusted Neptune to know where she's going, she remembered something important. She turned around to see the portal had already closed.

"I totally forgot to ask for his name again!?"

**Part 22**

It was a white room. From the floor, to the walls, to the ceiling was nothing but white to the point Uni could almost feel herself floating in the void. And the only reason she knew it was a rather massive room was due to the massive supercomputer that took the entire space of one of the walls.

The super AI they had to defeat to escape this world.

Uni gulped. "Is this… the surprise?"

"No," Nepgear said. "Well, this still counts as a surprise, I suppose. I managed to help Lacoste fix this device that lets us contact people back in the real world."

"What? Really? Wait, but why does she need something like this? …Or is creating a personal world a one-way street."

"Nevermind the details," Lacoste said with a pumped up chest as she fiddled with the many different buttons.

Uni sighed. The more she hung out with her, the more she questioned Lacoste's competence and the rank of her threat level to her, her sister, and everyone else.

"Actually, Uni, Lacoste promised to help me with making your gift."

The floor between them opened up, and a pedestal rose from beneath with a spherical object placed on top. Uni raised an eyebrow, but the more she inspected it, the more familiar it looked. The material of the metal platings, the precise boltings, and eye-like reticle and sensor on one side of the sphere.

Its design was based off on Uni's blueprints.

"The hardware is complete," Nepgear said, "but it's still missing the software. This computer is actually supposed to solve that problem, though. We just have to hook it up and install all the software updates, and it should be working like how you wanted."

Uni was lost for words. Something that was simply a fantasy in her head only to be put onto paper was now a reality, and it was right in front of her.

Nepgear could only giggle at Uni's face knowing full-well how happy the Lastation sister was without her saying a word.

"I got it!" Lacoste cheered.

Their attention was turned to the large monitor displaying a circular loading bar that moved in a ring. Once the loading bar was filled to its max capacity, a circle appeared in the middle of the ring, and it seemed to "wink" and move as if it were an eye.

Once that "eye" scanned the entire room, it glanced at Lacoste and stared at her for a moment.

"Mistress Lacoste!"

"Xyzzy~"

"No."

"I didn't even say anything." Lacoste kicked the machine.

"Ah, my apologies. It was just, a bad habit."

She pouted. "Hrm… Hey, I need a favor."

"No."

"Xyzzy!"

Nepgear and Uni watched the one-sided bickering with forced awkward laughter.

"Hey, Nepgear," Uni said, averting her gaze.

"Is something the matter?"

"It's just… were you working on that silly idea of mine since you got here?"

"Oh, yeah, pretty much. I wasn't allowed to go out and see any of you, because Lacoste said that would be cheating." Nepgear pushed her fingertips together. "I was a bit lonely, so I was thinking of you."

The force of the blood rushing up to her head made Uni jump. "Y-you were thinking of me?"

"Uh-huh. I saved your rough drafts on my N-Gear and decided to pass the time building it. All I need now is the software to run the little guy. It took a bit of effort to get this far. I'm actually surprised we got so much done."

"'We'…?"

"Lacoste offered a hand to help. She was the one who provided the workshop and the materials. She's nice, isn't she?"

Uni had her arms wrapped tightly around the spherical robot. She held it firmly against her chest in hopes the cool exterior would soothe her heart. Her chest was tight. She should feel happy knowing that Nepgear thought about her this whole time. Nepgear even went ahead and built Uni's first robot. All this should be making her swoon, her heartbeat, but all it did was pierce a sharp needle through it.

The reason why Uni started designing a robot in the first place was to spend more time with Nepgear, but that opportunity was gone now. And what made the pain worse was knowing Nepgear spent her time with Lacoste and Lacoste alone. It was something Uni knew wasn't worth overthinking. It would be silly, but the false delusions were already rushing through her head.

"Oh no, Uni, are you crying?"

Uni shook her head. "I-I'm happy, is all… You did this all for me."

Nepgear smiled in relief and leaned forward to give her a big hug. It doesn't matter anymore, Uni thought. What's done is done and they're here together, so let's make good use of the time before it ends.

"Nepgear, Little Uni," Lacoste called. "Come over here."

"What's this 'little'?" Uni's eyebrow twitched.

"You're pretty small."

"Excuse me?"

"You're petite." Lacoste hovered her hand back and forth between her nose and Uni's forehead. "Anyway, Xyzzy here—"

A robotic voice came from the computer. "No."

Lacoste kicked the supercomputer once more. "Xyzzy is going to send you the software, so take your time."

Nepgear hesitantly raised her hand above her shoulder. "Mind if I ask who or… what Xyzzy is?"

"Xyzzy is a computer AI that handles most of the work I'm usually supposed to do. Back home, he's a small floating robot like your dormant friend over there." She pointed at the spherical machine in Uni's arms.

"Oh, so, Xyzzy is an Oracle just like Histoire."

The large blue circle on the screen started flashing. "Ah! Ah! Ah! You said, 'Oracle'. Little lilac girl, are you, by chance, a CPU CPU CPU, too too too?"

"W-Why, yes. Actually, I'm not a fully fledged CPU, yet. I'm only a CPU Candidate. Oh, and this is Uni. She's also a CPU Candidate."

"CPU CPU CPU Candidate. Ah! Ah! Ah! Never in, my calculations, of probability, would Xyzzy ever, meet a, CPU CPU CPU, outside, P-P-Pointe, du Clique." The blue circle bounced and spun. Xyzzy was probably dancing in joy. "I would, be glad, to be of, service, to a, CPU CPU CPU Candidate."

Uni stepped forward. "Before that, I have one question. Are you the AI our sisters must defeat to get out of here?"

"'Defeat'? Why should, Xyzzy, admit, defeat?"

"Oh!" Lacoste clapped her hands. "I totally forgot. Xyzzy—"

"No."

"Shut it, you. I have another favor. Do you mind being the final boss for our little game?"

Uni's jaw was about to unhinged from her skull for a second time. "You mean you didn't have a final boss to begin with!?"

"T-that's not true! I… didn't get around to asking."

"And you're supposed to be the DM!?"

"Mistress Lacoste. By, final, boss, do they mean…" Xyzzy paused for a moment as if studying Lacoste's "innocent" smile. "…oh my. Oh my oh my oh my. Mistress Lacoste, I forbid—"

"It's okay. This isn't the first time."

"Please, Xyzzy?" Nepgear held her hands together. "I'm sure you'll be an excellent final boss to end our adventure."

"…I, accept, the responsibility, but, on one, condition."

Lacoste was already hopping around in joy. "Sure, anything."

"The girl, in black," Xyzzy said. Uni pointed at herself to make sure he was referring to her. "I would like, for the time being, to have, a private conversation, with the girl, in black."

"Uni?" Lacoste turned to her and back to Xyzzy. "Um, sure, I see no problem with that, but why?"

Why, indeed. Uni was wondering the same thing. The circle on the screen felt like a large eye staring down at her, crushing her very being into the very ground.

"I am very, interested, in her. I simply, want to, strike a, conversation, with the, CPU CPU CPU, Candidate."

She was still very confused as to why Xyzzy suddenly had an interest in her. Even Lacoste was lost, but she shrugged it off and patted Uni on the back.

"He doesn't bite," she said before turning to Nepgear. "Since you helped me set up Xyzzy, I have a few more fun ideas in store for you. Also, I let the water running."

"Wait, Nepgear—"

"I'll be fine," Nepgear said. "I'll probably be setting up and tweaking a bit of the designs for the levels our sisters are going to go through. It's actually pretty exciting. I used to be a main protagonist, but for this, I'm one of the villains."

"I… I see. You know, you're about as fearsome as a Doggoo."

"…Is it an evil-looking Doggoo?"

"Nevermind."

Once alone, Uni looked at Xyzzy in the… "eye", and let out an awkward laugh.

**Part 23**

Uni hooked up her mobile device to the supercomputer that was Xyzzy. A loading bar appeared on its screen downloading the essential software needed to give her own robot life. A copy of Xyzzy's operating system.

She looked at her spherical robot sitting next to her. It was disappointing to see that all the hard work was already finished. Learning how to build it would have been most of the fun, but it still amazed her how detailed it was. Leave it to Nepgear to know how her way around these things. Her excitement increased with each pixel filling up the download bar. Two pixels. Not even one percent of the way through.

It was going to take a while.

So she sat and wait and watched the bar do its thing. In the meantime, the riots were still rampaging the streets. A businessman just made it home and immediately cracked open a cold one and flipped through the channels. A car carrying a family above the city's buildings were on their way home from watching a movie. Somewhere in this vast city of futuristic technology and impoverished streets, Adult Neptune was on the run. No one has seen the smaller Neptune anywhere. Uni has been taken away from Noire yet again and who knows how much longer they'll be separated this time. Nepgear was safe. She was nearby. She was with Lacoste somewhere in this mysterious building, in another room, doing… doing  _something_. Other than working on Uni's design, which she felt left out from helping out, Nepgear had to have been doing something else entirely during her stay. She couldn't have just worked on Uni's robot the entire time, right? Uni just wanted this day to end. She was hoping that her time apart from Noire wouldn't last any longer, but then how would Noire react to their reunion? Would she be angry? Would she be relieved to see her little sister safe? The questions, the uncertainty — like the space, the size of the room Uni couldn't gauge, because everything was white, it was clear, yet it was void, a mystery, an uncertainty — it was crushing Uni under its weight.

She should have taken that bath.

…

…

…

_Are those two taking a bath again?_

The bar ticked ever closer to its milestone of one percent completion, and Uni released all the pent up stress from her lungs like a hurricane.

"This is just great."

"You seem, down. Are you, worried, about, your friends?"

Uni lost herself staring at the bar until it moved another pixel. She nodded. "I get it. We're not in any real danger, but it still bothers me. Especially since…"

"Quite. Understandable. To be, suddenly, thrown into, a place, unknown, otherworldly. I must, apologize, on behalf, for my, foolish, Mistress. She means, well. She would never, wish harm, to anyone."

"…Mind if I ask something?"

"Why, of course. Please, ask any-any-anything."

"Why did you want me alone with you, anyway?"

"Dear me, dear me, dear me. I did not, mean to be, such a scare. I simply, looked at all, those present, and you were, the only one, who seemed, to be, afraid."

"'Afraid'? I'm not afraid. I'm just—"

"My, apologies. To be clear, not, afraid. But, cautious. Very, cautious. The lilac girl, Nepgear, is very, trusting. I do not, worry, for her, due to her, compatibility, with Mistress Lacoste. However, you are not, easily trusting. That's, very good, and very necessary, but I also, want you to know, there is nothing to worry, about, about Mistress Lacoste."

Nothing to worry about, huh? If he said that only a few minutes before, she'd be calling that a straight up lie, but she couldn't, because of Nepgear. She trusted Lacoste; she went out of her way to protect her when Uni almost lost it. That's all she needed to know that, perhaps, Lacoste wasn't a terrible person.

And coming ever closer to that realization was making her feel even worse.

The regret of betraying Noire wouldn't leave her mind, and now the feeling she had betrayed Nepgear's trust, her feelings, her intuition was looming over her, suffocating her. It was, she admitted, a silly thing to think of Nepgear, but she couldn't help it. From the very start, everything about Uni was deteriorating like a professional athlete on a bad day, but those bad days wouldn't stop coming. Ever since Lacoste arrived, ever since she took them away to this world. Ever since she first appeared.

Maybe… Maybe she was trying to find any reason, any reason at all to blame it on Lacoste.

"Xyzzy, how is Lacoste as a CPU? You know, back in her home?"

"Ooh~ Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. She is the, reason why, our lofty, lonely, village, soon became, the capital, of not just, her nation, but also, the entire, continent. She was, the spearhead, of our nation's, 'Golden Age'."

"G-Golden Age?" Uni was almost speechless. A seemingly incompetent and dorky girl like her? Sure, she's the CPU for a reason, but it was hard to imagine she would be the catalyst of why her nation was so far in advance compared to anything in Gamindustri. She shook her head when a faint picture of an advanced Gamindustri lead by Neptune entered her imagination.

"Yes. While that, beloved, Golden Age, has come, and passed, Point du, Clique, continues, to flourish. And now, my Mistress, has retired, and desires, to open, her mind, and venture, the world. I am, so proud, of her."

Uni nodded with nearly every word. There was newfound respect. It doesn't change the fact that she brought them here, but she was getting tired falling back on that blame. What's happening now is all that matters, at least that's what she's trying to convince herself. Although, there's one thing that's still bothering her.

"Xyzzy, you know how when a CPU transforms, their HDD usually takes on a different personality?"

"Mm, oh yes. I am aware, of such, phenomena."

"Well, what's Lacoste's HDD like?"

"Ah, well that's—"

The sudden pause was followed by a long period of silence.

Uni tilted her head. "Hey, what's the matter?"

"…Dear. Little, Uni."

"Why are you calling me 'Little', too?"

"May I, ask you, for a, favor?"

"Uh, sure, what's up?"

"Please, as a, moderator. Make sure, in the end, my mistress, wins."

"W-What? Why? Why should I interfere just so my sister loses? They have to win to get out of here, remember?"

"Those are, the rules, my mistress, laid out, yes yes yes? Why, would she, leave you, here, if she, wins?"

"I… I don't know, but…"

"The purpose, of this game, is to, have fun. Your lives, as you said, earlier, are not, in danger. Whether you win, or lose, the game, is over, and all participants, will return, to their homes. If it makes, you feel better, the information, my Mistress, has provided, the two, CPUCPUCPUs, of Planeptune, are well aware, of this fact."

"Nepgear… and Neptune, too? Then… that still doesn't explain why I should let her win."

"Mistress doesn't like to lose."

A sudden coldness almost shattered Uni's spine as it shot through her body. The lack of Xyzzy's usual cadence made what seemed to be a simple statement sound like a message leading to one's impending doom as if those were Uni wasn't allowed to hear.

**Part 24**

Uni was waiting in front of what seemed to be a government building from the outside, facing the front courtyard. She hid behind one of the large pillars, fiddling with the suitcase in her hands.

If what Xyzzy said was true, she was going to meet Noire along with Neptune. She hadn't seen Neptune since they were back in Lastation and she knew just one look to see if she was healthy would be enough to relieve her fear of whether or not they were going to escape.

Noire, on the other hand…

…What was she going to do?

Uni betrayed her own sister. Even if Noire forgave, how could she ever forgive herself? Nepgear said everything would be fine, and this was all just a game, but  _she_  didn't know that before she made the decision. She committed the ultimate act of betrayal as both a CPU Candidate and a younger sister.

It's been eating at her this entire time, and now, she was expected to do it a  _second_  time.

She took a deep breath and pressed her forehead against the pillar. What was she to do? Before she left, Xyzzy said he had something prepared for Noire and Neptune once they appear. Whatever it was, he didn't say, but it should give her an idea what to do if it were to fail.

Let's just hope she doesn't have to do anything at all.

Of course, she's also hoping nothing bad happens to them.

She let out a sigh, but almost had a heart attack with a loud  _schwing_  sound echoed throughout and bright light with swirling colors appeared over the middle of the courtyard. It must have a been a portal, she figured, because she could see the silhouettes of two figures jumping out of it; one with a long katana and one with a very alien-looking weapon. Once the portal closed and the light dispersed, her eyes adjusted to the change of lighting and could make out the two figures that came out.

It was Neptune.

And Noire. She was there, too. Was she cosplaying?

And that gigantic robot behind them. It was there, too.

Wait, where the  _heck_  did that thing come from!?

It was as big as a building; even the cylinder-shaped reservoirs pumping blue energy on its back were at least three times the size of the CPUs.

Is this what Xyzzy was talking about? I thought he just wanted to slow them down, maybe just set them back a bit, not outright cripple, or goddess forbid,  _kill_  them. What was she supposed to do here? Just stand and watch? Help her sister and Neptune? Sure as heck not going to help that monster of a robot, but what was she supposed to do?

It was like she was being tested and she was about to fail.

"If you look a little closer," Neptune said, "it looks like something Nep Jr. would make."

"It doesn't look that intimidating anymore now that you mention it."

"You had a chance to build that big boss feel, big guy, but I leveled up yesterday." Neptune rushed forward and jumped into the air, swinging her katana and slashing the large robot in half on her way down. The path of the blade caused a chain reaction of tiny balls of explosion and each half of the robot fell apart and dropped to the ground.

As the smoke and debris cleared away, Uni swallowed her saliva. How did Neptune get so powerful to take down a building-sized security robot with ease? Despite its size, it just had the stats of a measly minion, right? Lacoste and Nepgear have even stronger enemies ready, right? Neptune and Noire have no chance of winning… right?

She was just fooling herself. Was that a bad thing? Noire is safe with Neptune, and they both seem to be ready to take on Lacoste head on. She should be relieved, but her current position wouldn't allow her. Her purpose right now was to make sure they were at a disadvantage. To make sure they lose the game.

This is for everyone's safety. Yeah. It would be better if Lacoste won in the end.

Right?

"Yo, little dudette. What's up?"

Uni didn't realize she was standing in the middle of the courtyard.

Uni's eye twitched. "Seriously? 'Little'?"

"Whatcha up to? I'd figure you'd be pecking with my little sister this whole time."

"I've only just met up with Nepgear a bit ago and, well, Lacoste made us become her game moderators."

"Oooh~ A mod? Explains the hat and briefcase. Do you also have super cool admin powers, like spawning legendary weaponry or gaining unlimited gold or changing your in-game avatar to something even sexier and stylish?"

"Well, actually, I'm not sure, but… Hey, are you saying there's a problem with my appearance?"

"Nevermind that," Noire said, stepping in front of Neptune. Uni panicked, looking at the two older CPUs as if she wasn't ready to switch between them. That panic was then coupled with slight confusion the moment Noire pulled her closer for a hug. "I'm just glad Lacoste didn't hurt you."

"…No, I'm fine." Uni tried, but she couldn't find the comfort in her sister's arms. The relief and warmth, she didn't feel she deserved any of it. "Noire, I—…"

Before she could continue speaking, her cheeks were pressed against Noire's chest. Her mind was racing, this was where she wanted to be, but she was far from ready to accept any of it. Her hands were on Noire's waist and she tried to push her off, but she couldn't. It wasn't Noire resisting it, Uni just couldn't find the will to separate themselves from each other. She wanted it. Oh, she wanted it so much. This love and embrace she desired for so long, especially during these times where she felt she was stuck in the pits of despair, watching the light get further and further from her grasp, sealing her within the abyss. This was her freedom. But the light still refused to break the blackness. Or more like, she refused to open her eyes to it.

She stepped back and used whatever strength she had left to will herself away from the hug.

"Uni?" Noire said, taken aback. She tried to reach for Uni again, but Uni smacked her hand away.

"Why…?"

"What's the matter?"

"'What's the matter'? What's the matter with  _you_ , Noire?"

Uni held her face, her cheeks hot as a stove, even her tears felt as if they were burning away from her skin. She screamed, she roared. All the pent up anguish, she released in one mighty burst of frustration.

"Why are you acting like you're happy to see me? Why are you trying to make me feel better?"

Why aren't you mad at me? Why aren't you screaming at me?

"What happened? What happened to you between back at the bar and now?"

I betrayed you. I stabbed you in the back. I gave you up just for my sake.

"Uni, it's-"

Uni started hyperventilating, her legs shaking from the weight of her own body.

"I watched Neptune strip and put on a skin-tight playboy outfit."

I sold my soul to Lacoste in hopes to bring you back to me.

"I woke up and broke down the moment I saw Nepgear."

How can I support you if I don't even have the strength to make myself strong?

"I took a bath in an indoor luxury swimming pool."

I dirtied the name of Lastation's CPU Candidate.

"I finally get to see the blueprints of my dream nano-robot become a reality."

How can I be the CPU Candidate of Lastation if I can't even be worthy enough to be your younger sister?

"I'm  _done_. I'm  _tired_. I don't like this anymore, Noire. I can't take anymore of this. I just want to go home. I want to go back where I don't have to lie or cheat or betray the trust of my big sister by being selfish."

"You must have had  _too_  much fun," Noire said with a giggle.

Fun?

Uni opened her eyes and looked up at Noire through her tears. "N-No, I-"

Noire got down to her knees and placed her hand on Uni's shoulder, "If something ever happens to me, if I ever go away, if I ever disappear and never came back, who do I put my trust in to watch over Lastation?"

Never came back? But that- why does that matter now? After what Uni did, how can she be the one to take the reigns of protecting Lastation?

"I gave up my dignity. I wanted to do it for you, for everyone, but in the end, my true feelings, was all just for-

"For Lastation," Noire smiled, and the walls Uni erected between them were slowly crumbling apart, piece by piece. "Everyone knows you. I know you. You're strong enough and capable of doing anything. That's why I trust you with all my heart. I can even trust your decision when you think it's your turn to be leader."

Uni's eyes froze as they made contact with Noire's. Her heart was beating a hundred times between each slow breath. She wasn't even sure if air was going in and out of her lungs. It wasn't until a lone drip of saliva got stuck in her throat, and her gag reflexes had no choice but to force out a cough. A cough that would break the rest of the barriers that halted any of her emotions from bursting out. A cough, and then a wail to stand the test of time.

She had been forgiven after committing her ultimate sin, so she cried.

However, she wasn't crying due to being ultimately forgiven.

She was crying because her ultimate job of deceit has yet to be finished.

As long as it needed to be, she wanted this embrace to last until she had to give it up again.

Who knew how long that lasted. Neptune checked the time on her wrist, her butt numb and cramp after leaning against a nearby lamp pole for so long.

"Okay, chop chop, ladies. As much as the whole fanbase thrives on incestuous lesbianism, there are more than enough arcs to have a whole bunch of character developing sub-plots. Besides, we have a game to beat and I want the top score."

"That's true," Noire said, breaking the hug to Uni's distress. "Actually, Uni, if you're the moderator, that means we have the power to get to the end, easy as pie."

"Holy script kiddy, Noire, you're not supposed to be a cheater."

"Is it cheating when there are no cheats involved? Uni pretty much has the power to do whatever she pleases."

"N-No," Uni said. She wasn't sure if she even had any special powers to begin with. Moderator may as well have been just a title and not a definite role in Lacoste's game. Either way, she had to focus on her current objective. "Neptune is right. It wouldn't feel right if you were to cheat. Even if I could do whatever I please, I'm not considered as a player, so I can not interfere and provide assistance."

Noire sighed which made Uni almost cry as if on cue. "You're right. I don't know what I was thinking. Besides, I'm sure we're strong enough to face her ourselves. By the way, why did she choose you to be a moderator?"

"For the sake of simplicity, the game only allows up to three players." The real reason would make her facepalm, but there was no reason to talk behind her back.

"So, it's Noire, me, and big me, is it? Oh, that reminds me. Where is big me, anyway?"

"I'm sure she's fine," Noire said. "We separated when the riot got too out of control, but she's strong enough to handle herself."

The compliment was like daggers to Uni's heart. "Anyway, one of my responsibilities is to make sure the game is not only running smoothly, but to make sure the players aren't abusing anything that would give them an unfair disadvantage."

"No worrio, Uni-rino. I would never, ever cheat or let all the pudding in the world burn to ashes."

Which, without a doubt, was very true. None of the CPUs would ever dream about cheating, but what if it didn't have to be cheats to be cheating?

"What about… that katana?"

"Huh? You mean my Nepkatana? What about it?"

"I saw you fight with the massive security robot. Are you sure you didn't do anything fishy during that fight? Or perhaps you did something to that sword?"

"What? Are you saying I'm a bug abuser? A walkthrough reader? A monetary warrior? I obtained this magnificent weapon fair and square and did some hardcore grinding to power it up."

Noire put a hand on her hip. "But you didn't just obtain it. Someone gave it to you."

"Don't you ever talk to NPCs in towns? Some of them can give valuable stuff and we just so happened to befriend the ultimate NPC with awesome weapons. Maybe next time you should take your time in games instead of speeding through them."

"For your information, Lastation has made steps in providing story heavy video games. I also don't feel comfortable calling these people NPCs… Either way, it's Uni's call in the end. She's a moderator, remember?" She turned to Uni for confirmation. "Well, what will it be, Uni?"

This was her chance. She was afraid she would have to think of a good reason to convince Neptune to give up her extremely overpowered weapon, but unbeknownst to Noire, she had helped set the stage for Uni to say anything and they would have to comply.

She was about to take advantage of Noire's trust once again. The whole world started spinning.

"I need to take that sword from you," Uni said. She wasn't sure if she was still talking to them or if she was still where she was at. "It's too powerful for the current campaign."

"Uh, no. Nuh uh. No way, no how, never in a gajillion bazillion years am I giving up this baby. You're gonna have to pry the Nepkatana from my soft, delicate hands if you wanna—"

Noire grabbed the katana from Neptune's hands and handed it over to Uni. "There you go. Do you need my weapon as well?"

"Conspiracy! The tsundere sisters are plotting against the all-powerful protagonist! May I remind you of the ratings for  _your_  game!"

"We can find other weapons. Besides, it's not fun watching you one-shotting all the boss monsters."

Neptune had a fat pudding-eating grin on her face. "Didn't you want to get out of here as fast as possible?"

"I-I do," Noire stammered, "but I'm not the kind of person to take the easy way out."

"More like the boring way out."

Uni stared at the blade in her hand. By just holding it, she could feel the power emanating from it. Even with little experience with swords, she could take down even the Deity of Sin with a single swing. They would definitely have won easily with this thing.

Did Noire say she had another weapon?

It looked incredibly alien. A hefty body with purple energy flowing inside a long tube extending from the back to the front acting as the weapon's barrel. She was amazed and yet confused by how it functions, but as a rifle, she was naturally pulled into it.

There's no way she can keep doing this. She was about to lose her mind. The katana was enough to carry them to the end, and the rifle Noire held also looked pretty powerful. She already felt relief taking the katana off Neptune's hands, but now she's about to push herself to the limits of how far she can take this betrayal.

"It's okay. You can keep it."

"Oh, really? Are you sure?"

"Aha! I can see through your devilish plan!"

Uni held her breath. She was about to cry.

"You just want to give Noire all the credit for beating the game, aren't you? I object. I'm not giving up my spot on the top."

"Would you give a break already? Uni would never be as pitiful as to bend the rules just for her big sister. Besides, the spotlight is more fitting to shine upon someone like me."

"I'll remember this," Neptune said with a pout. "Does Nepgear know this evil twintail baroness side of you? I'm starting to think twice about letting her play with you."

"I-It's not like that. I'm just enforcing the rules."

"Hmph. Do I at least get compensation after spending time and effort grinding?"

"A-Ah, well… Hold on, maybe…" Uni placed her briefcase on her knee and opened it, reaching for an item to hand over to Neptune. "Here, all I have is this."

"It's a slingshot," Neptune said in the most disappointing and lackluster way possible, yet still felt this was the most expected cliche.

While Neptune was about to enter a stage of self-loathing, Uni apologized and said she had to go.

"Wait," Noire said. "Lacoste hasn't done anything to you or Nepgear, right?"

"…No, she hasn't."

There was a small pause. "Okay. I believe you. Have fun, you hear?" Noire smiled.

Uni's eyes widen. It was true Noire had already accepted the reality they were in. That was good. It was even better to see her smile and hear her voice like that. If it were like this since the beginning, there wouldn't have been any problems, but despite having her emotions being uplifted for the moment, the more she walked away, the more the heaviness started to crush her.

Uni had crossed too many lines to continue with a positive mind. If only this game would end already. Would she feel better if they were back home? She should, right? It made sense. She was waiting for this game to end, but something still tugged her heart. She wanted to leave this game, but she wanted something else to happen. Something that would… end her worries for good.

"Oh," Noire called out. "And Uni?"

Uni froze in her tracks. She couldn't even turn around to face her. "Y-yes?"

"I know I… don't normally do this, but… when we make it back home… I'm giving you such a beating."

And from those words, whatever was tugging on Uni's heart had let go and sent it flying. It was free. The heart soar, and in turn, fell tears from her eyes. She wasn't able to turn around at first, but now she refuses to do so, and she bit her bottom lip to hold in her audible cries. Everything wanted to explode out of her. Her soul, her worries, just from what Noire said to her made her want to fly.

"Y-yes!"

And so, with the Nepkatana and suitcase in hand, she lowered her GM hat over her face and ran as fast as she could. She ran and ran without looking back.

Noire and Neptune watched her back until she was gone from sight. Noire shook and her with a smile and a sigh.

"Wow, Noire. I didn't think you were the kind of person to physically abuse your sister."

"I-I'm not! Sure, I should probably punish her, but… I have a feeling she would be hoping for that. Now let's get going."

"Ay-ay, sub-capitan!"

**Part 25**

Uni returned to the room with the large computer screen with Xyzzy's blue circle rocking side to side. It was funny to see how a computer AI can get bored being alone.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Uni, welcome, back. Were my, assumptions, correct? Was it, your sister? And if so, did you, enjoy, your reunion?"

"Heh, yeah." Uni mustered up a chuckle. "I'm happy to know she's still okay, and I'm happy that she was worried about me this whole time. And you're right. It looks like she's having a lot more fun than I expected. I was just self-deprecating again as usual."

"I, told you, it will, be okay. Siblings, do not, hold grudges, on each other. I doubt, she is, even aware, of the blame, you have put, on yourself."

"...Yeah, you're right." He was, right? Uni looked down between her legs, her fingernails digging into her knees. "...I lied to her again."

"Ah, dear me. I greatly, apologize, to have, made you, do such, a thing. I should have, thought of, another option. Please, forgive me. I did not, mean to, disrupt, your relationship, nor, your feelings."

Uni felt the guilt smacking her across the face. Now she was getting a computer into the middle of her mess which was just putting another layer of guilt onto her conscious. She held the Nepkatana up close and examined the blade. It truly felt like it was forged by a master smith. "I still found it in myself to at least go with the plan. I just hope I don't have to do that ever again."

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Wait a, minute, wait a, minute, wait a, minute. I know, that sword, anywhere. That sword, is a, reminder, to our people, of the mistakes, our nation, has made, in the past. I'm surprised, my Mistress, even remembers, such a relic."

"Does it belong to Lacoste? Is it supposed to be cursed?"

"Ah, no, no, no. Ah, you don't know. You see, this world, you are in, holds fragments, of my Mistress's, memories. It's not, anything, important, really, but I do, find it interesting, and humourous."

It made sense a world created by Lacoste's mind would contain certain areas of her memories. While this city may not be Lacoste's actual nation, it is probably based on the memories of her nation. Now that she thought of it, she did have that feeling of mind-blowing awe when she first arrived here. If this city was just a mere fraction of what Lacoste's real nation was like, she was enthusiastic to see just a static picture of it. That would probably blow her mind even more.

Uni checked the progress of the file transfer. "Only ten percent, huh? It's still going to take awhile."

"I must, apologize. My software, has been, updated, and modified, countless times, and through, different, realities, it is not, very optimized."

"No, it's okay. Take your time. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone wanted to stay a bit longer than they initially wanted to." Uni sighed. She was the only one who was making it hard for herself to have fun, wasn't she? "Well, after this is done, let's work together, okay?"

"Ah! Yes, Little Uni, I am, most excited, to be your, partner for this—  _zzt! Zzt! Zzkaa!_ "

There was a long sound of power shutting down, and silence filled the room. The screen was still on, but the circle's blue color looked dull and almost lifeless. Uni wasn't sure what to do, so she tapped the machinery with her fingertips a few times, but there was no response.

After a while, Xyzzy's "eye" lit up again. "Oh. Oh. I did not, expect that, to happen."

"What happened?"

"It is, nothing to be, alarmed about. I am simply, connected to both, the real world, and the world, my Mistress, manifested. But, there is, something, very, very, very dire, that I must, warn you."

"W-what is it? Wait, what happened to the download? It went down five percent. Did it hang?"

"Little, Uni. Do me, a favour, and please, leave the room. Immediately."

Uni blinked. "Is something wrong with me being here?"

"No. Yes. Hurry."

Before Uni could further question Xyzzy's weird behavior, a sudden flash blurred her vision and a bolt of electricity shot through her body. She lost all feeling in her body and dropped to the floor like a sandbag. She barely hung on to her vision, clawing herself out of the deep ends of unconsciousness, but she could only see layers and layers of the floor — or the ceiling? — swaying back and forth. The noise that reached her ears sounded far and echo-y. One of the noises was the panicking tone in Xyzzy's voice, but there was another unfamiliar voice as well.

"Uni, Uni. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. You, you, you monsters. Of all, places, you appear, even here. Leave now. Leave. Leave."

"No welcome, Xyzzy? Oh, but you seem to be all chummy with a  _peasant_ , I see."

That was the last thing Uni heard before something heavy dropped on top of her head, slamming it between it and the ground, forcing her to slip from the world and fall into the depths of blackness.


	6. Noire Fiction, Part 4

**Part 26**

Noire took a deep breath as she stared down the entrance to the building housing Lacoste and the Super AI Computer. Why was she so nervous? She already accepted the fact that her and Uni's lives weren't in danger. In the end, this was just a game. So why was her stomach tightening up? Why was it so hard to move her legs forward? Why was the alien-like rifle in her hands suddenly heavier than it was?

Neptune whistled. "Not only am I stuck with this slingshot, but the opening paragraph makes you look like the main character. I guess every character needs a character arc."

"Quiet. All we have to do is get in there, make it to the top floor, and beat this game."

"What makes you think it's the top floor?"

"Isn't the final boss always on the top floor?"

"Wait a minute, the chapter title. Has it not changed since the last couple chapters? This author sure is getting lazy."

While Neptune was busy contemplating, Noire turned the knob and pushed open the double doors leading to down an extravagant hallway. At the end was a sliding double-door without a handle, but the most unusual-looking object in the room was a box sitting to the side.

"This looks like a trap," Neptune said as she marched towards the door and pointed at a slot on the wall. "This card-reader looks suspicious."

"You weren't talking about the box!?"

Neptune walked around inspecting each side of the box. "You're right. What's it doing here?" She reached her hand towards a corner and was suddenly enveloped in blue electricity. She dropped like a rock.

"Even the most protagonist of protagonists have to fall sometimes," Noire said as she laughed nervously. "Wait a sec. This box looks pretty familiar."

Before Noire could place her hand on it, the box shifted away. She reached for it once more, and the box moved away again.

"Yeah, real funny. I know it's you, K-Sha."

After a moment of silence, the person hiding under the box finally stood up and revealed themselves, their red school uniform ripped in different places, hair disheveled, and legs once smooth as silk now covered in bruises and scars.

"Noire," she said. "I found you."

"You have no idea how good it is to see you, K-Sha."

"Noire is glad to see me!" K-Sha opened her arms and threw her entire body towards Noire, only to be stopped by an arm and a hand.

"Nevermind that. More importantly, what are you even doing here? Wait, no, why— or  _how_  did you even get here? No way, did Lacoste get you, too?"

"That's the girl with the white hair, right? I've seen her around only a few times here— No, actually, I've seen her around Lastation once before."

"You've met her before?"

"We only bumped into each other. We seem to share some hobbies."

Noire's spine tingled a little. "In some ways I'm frightened, but I think I'll be okay for now. But why are you here? I thought Lacoste made this game for us."

"Well…" K-Sha averted her gaze as she rolled back and forth on her heels. "I happened to be in the same room as—"

"Say no more," Noire held her hand up. "Anyway, what happened to you? You're a mess."

"Oh dear, I am. I can't let Noire continue seeing me in this state or else she'll think less of me." She pulled out a blue keycard from her pocket. "I had another one just like this that I used to go through this door. It's like a teleporter."

"A teleporter? Where did it lead?"

"Well, in my case, it was more like a time traveling machine. I went through it and appeared in the prehistoric age with dinosaurs. In the end, there was this keycard and another door leading back to here. Oh, Noire, it was so scaryyy!"

Noire held her hand up again to keep K-Sha from hugging her. "So, this door leads to a certain level of the game and we have to go through each one before facing Lacoste. Got it. Did you hear that, Neptune? Looks like we're going to-"

"I love you."

Noire was taken aback by the sudden, yet predictable, confession. Lost for words, she placed her hand on K-Sha's head and pet her. Wait a minute, that makes it sound like she's treating her like some pet, right? Is this an appropriate action to do for a… friend? K-Sha was happily leaning against her hand, so it was probably okay.

Noire sighed. "We're going to go through a series of levels this time around, so would you stop lazing around? ...Neptune?"

After calling her name a couple more times, Neptune stayed still and unresponsive.

K-Sha tilted her head. "Is she dead?"

"No."

Neptune jumped back up to her feet, hands on her hip and chest pumped with pride. "And that's how you build empathy with the readers."

"You're an idiot," Noire said as she held back a tinge of laughter.

After swiping the keycard and the doors opened up, they held an arm over their eyes to cover the bright light from behind.

"And now we just have to step through it," K-Sha said as she leaned against Noire's shoulder.

Neptune stretched her arm into the doorway until half of her body was submerged into the light. "It's not so bad. Just a little warm is all— uwah!"

"You idiot!" Noire rushed over to grab Neptune's hand, but she was then pulled through the gateway along with K-Sha holding on tightly as well.

Their vision was filled with warped colors until those colors started to manifest into their next destination, bright blue skies, bright yellow sands, and dusty brown ruins. Her throat was as dry as the air around her, and the heat of the blazing sun pummeled her skin.

There was no question of where they were - somewhere in the desert near some ancient ruins. The question was why this location in particular. As her feet touched the surface, and while she pondered, the load of two bodies fell on top of her, flattening her into the sand below.

"Noire, Noire," K-Sha cried, hoping her heart would lead to her beloved Goddess. "Where did my Noire go?"

"Your worry is heartwarming," Neptune said, the air deflating from her body, "a heavy burden on your shoulders."

"That's great, but could you two get  _off_? And why am I the one on the  _bottom_?"

"Well, you know, I've learned some rules are constant even across multiple dimensions."

They walked up a wide ramp leading to an open square area in front of the entrance to the inner ruins. Noire walked around the open, her neck starting to ache from the amount of time she spent with her head tilted to the sky as she inspected the ruins, and her mouth had gone dry from leaving it open from awe. She felt like falling over.

They were surrounded by pillars and walls with alien writing and ancient people drawn on them. Nothing in the history books back in Gamindustri had anything resembling these artifacts, so there was no doubt they were still in a world Lacoste had fabricated. One oh so different from the bustling cyberpunk city of the previous.

They were still nowhere near home, and they've only gotten even further away.

She looked over at Neptune who was leaning against a pillar that had collapsed. She had her parka unzipped all the way, so most of her sweaty front was exposed.

Noire bit her tongue as her face turned a slight red, probably due to the intense heat, but she was envious at how Neptune was taking all of this in stride.

K-Sha pressed herself against Noire's arm. "Are you all right?"

Noire thought about it for a second. The moment she stepped through that portal, her confidence started to dwindle. The eagerness to play Lacoste's game that grew when she caught up with Neptune, it was slowly reverting to the feeling she had when she first found herself on the city's rooftops.

Lost.

She called out to Neptune, "What are you doing?"

Neptune tugged on her park and shook her body around, trying to cool herself off. "It's getting really hot. I'm not wearing my dress, you know? Hey, K-Shameless, you've done this before, haven't you? What are we supposed to do?"

"How can you be so calm?"

Neptune tilted her head. "Why wouldn't I be calm? I might get a bit cranky due to all this heat, but there's no reason to make such a fuss about it."

"No, not that, but—…"

"Remember what I said?" Neptune smiled. "There's nothing to worry. It's like  _you_  said, we just have to beat this game and we'll get out of here."

It's just a game. Neptune and Nepgear have done this before, and Uni is one of the game administrators. There is no life-threatening danger. It's all just a game. To have fun. She had forgotten like a kid getting lost in a jungle gym. She was there to have fun. She wasn't going to be gone from home forever.

She looked over to her side, and K-Sha hugged her arm, nodding in approval to Neptune's words. It was more than enough of a confirmation for her. Okay, there's no problem. Noire clenched a fist with her newfound determination. They were going to beat this game once and for all.

Their clothes were blown against the rolling winds from the valleys. The winds stopped, and their clothes stilled, but the distant roars still lingered. The roars never stopped. Louder and louder. The earth beneath their feet trembled, specks of debris loosened from the ruins. Dust clouds rose from the horizon until it covered the skies, and behind where the earth ends came small black figures like ants coming out of their hill. The louder the roars, the more violent the howls, and the larger the figures grew. Mammoth-like skeletons and massive one-eyed monstrosities.

"Run," Noire said. "Run, run inside!"

The moment they turned to the front of the ruins, headless beings with bombs in each hand appeared. Volleys came down on them, but they exploded in the skies prematurely.

K-Sha spun her SMGs and continued firing, annihilating the headless monsters only for even more to take their place.

They were running out of time.

"K-Sha, take the lead."

They all ran inside the ruins as the army of monsters came closing in. With each shot, K-Sha destroys more of the headless soldiers. Noire supported her with volleys of energy balls from her rifle while Neptune tried her best to not to get attacked. It was difficult using a slingshot as your only weapon, having to find bits and pieces to use as ammunition. It wasn't the hardest part, however. The hardest part was knowing your spotlight was focused on those who aren't you.

Neptune whacked one of the soldiers off a platform. "This isn't fair. How come you two have actual weapons, and I don't?"

"Don't think for one second I prefer you unarmed—", Noire fired two shots, "but we didn't have a choice."

"Could have shown a little more authority back there, don't you think?"

"I don't want to hear that from someone like you."

Room after room, horde after horde, trap after trap. There was not a single moment of reprieve. They were breathing faster than they could move their legs. Noire was having difficulties carrying her weapon, as if it weren't hard enough trying to hold onto an exhausted Neptune who took every chance to lean on her. Thank goodness for K-Sha and her training to be able to last this long and still be able to fight with such efficiency, but by just the look on her face she could tell she was about to hit her limit.

Where was the end?

Didn't matter. They had to make it no matter what.

She lowered her hips, tightened her calves. She examined her surrounds, her breathing slow and her heartbeat steady. Enemies came from every direction and K-Sha wouldn't be able to take out all of them if this keeps up. Noire fired once. Fired another. Another volley of shots before repositioning herself. Before each shot, before her brain could tell the muscles in her finger to twitch, her heart stopped and so did time itself. There was one goal and one goal only. To get through this level, and destroy anyone or anything in her way.

She shot again.

"It's just a game," Neptune said before patting Noire on the back, pulling her out of her focus harder than a train wreck.

Noire flinched from the contact and accidentally pulled a secondary trigger on her rifle that shot a much faster bullet towards the same direction the previous energy ball was heading. Before it could reach its target, it collided with the energy ball and exploded, dealing insane damage to all the monsters caught in its range.

"Whoa, Noire, that was awesome," Neptune said with stars in her eyes.

That's right. It was just a game. They were players and these monsters were the obstacles. Go through the levels, defeat the obstacles, win the game. That's all there is to it. Nothing more.

She looked the rifle in her hands for a few seconds. A smirk grew on her face.

Yeah. This was fun.

No wonder Uni liked guns.

**Part 27**

If she could assign a class or archetype for herself, it would be a rogue. Sneaking, thieving, and a little bit of slyness were the primary weapons for a foxy gal like Neptune. A fox in rabbit's clothing, as they say.

For real.

She's gotten used to the playboy outfit it was like a second skin to her. Oh well, Uni had let it slip beneath her breath that it looked hot on her thinking she wouldn't hear, but those ears were useful for more things other than hearing the satisfying thud of a ramen bowl being placed in front of her. She broke her chopsticks and proceeded to devour the heavenly umami.

The ramen house was still open this late. It actually felt pretty festive. People were coming in droves either for the ramen house or surrounding food courts. The night sky lit up by fireworks and torches, the sounds flooded with chants, singing, and music. This probably wasn't normal for a ramen house that seemed only to be able to house a handful of customers. The boom in business was due to the riots, and this stand took place right at the very edge of it. Neptune could turn around and witness the growing numbers, but who cares when there's a delicious bowl of noodles dying to be slurped?

She sat the bowl down after forcing down all its contents into her belly. "Golly, Mister. You sure know how to stretch and strain an eggy dough into a savoury ocean of chicken soup."

The ramen cook burst into laughter. "No one in the city is a better chef than yours truly." He turned around and gazed upon his cooking utensils, from his pots to his strainers, and to his ingredients. "My technique had been passed down from my father and his father and his father's father and his father's mother's cousin and his—…"

Neptune slipped away and into the nearest shopping alley. Was it a bit delinquent of her to leave without paying? Yeah, probably, but does it matter? It's not like they're real, it's not like this city is real. There won't be any long-term consequences if she does something less than ideal in the midst of this world's ongoing society. Was that a messed up way of thinking? Yeah, probably, but does it matter? The evil route is always the more fun route. Boy, it would be embarrassing if Nepgear or the others would discover this nasty side of her, but that's what makes it fun, right?

_I never asked, but I wonder if Uni knew this was all a game already? That being said, I wonder how she and Noire are doing? And where's Nepgear and small me?_

She shrugged. They'll be fine, she thought. Let's have some fun. Strapped around each side of her head and across her forehead was a strap of metal, a nifty piece of technology. She tapped the side of her head where it end and a visor appeared from beneath and covered her eyes. A visor. A mobile, wearable computer and also a futuristic fashion statement one can buy at the nearest tech store. Fortunately, Neptune didn't have to pay anything for it, because why pay when you can get it for free? A convincing line and a little tongue action along with a  _very_  playful hug can catch anyone off guard. Especially with a blunt strike to the head. That usually does the trick.

Yeah, it was fun all right. She licked her lips. The taste of umami still lingered.

Numbers and words appeared within her peripheral vision like a computer booting up. After identifying Neptune as its rightful owner, it started scanning her surroundings. Data appeared explaining any and all objects in her vision. Such as a person's name, date of birth, occupation, or a point of interest's history, etc. Anything and everything that would and wouldn't appear on an omniscient encyclopedia of the universe. Or at least, everything that was inside the city's database, and there was a lot — more than a comfortable amount.

It was a useful little tool. It was like a self-help touring device. Neptune used it to discover new restaurants and stores and the like. She found a toy store with pirates, monkeys, and rubber chickens with a pulley in the middle, but she slapped her cheeks and reminded herself she had a job to do. She had to find the rest of the gang and hope they're safe.

She entered what looked to be an abandoned apartment. The windows were boarded, the bricks were losing their color, the floors had years of wear and tear. The latter was an understatement. Some of the floors on each floor had large gaps she had to shimmy along the side to get across.

There were footsteps on the floor above her. She peeked around the corner and saw a man with a shotgun drop down a hole from the floor above. Must be a guard, she thought. Easy enough. When the guard wasn't looking, Neptune simply sneaked up to him and knocked him out from behind. One hit K.O. She picked up the futuristic-looking shotgun and carried it on her shoulder.

"It's not my cup of tea, but it'll do for now."

There was one particular room she wanted to get to. It was unlocked, and she entered it nonchalantly with an "anybody hooome~?" while swinging her gun in circles. A man in a dark hoodie was in the corner with stacks of suitcases around him and on top of the bed.

"And what would a little lady like you be doing here?" the shady man said, an eyebrow peeking over his dark shades.

"Thought you'd have something I'd be interested in."

"And what would that be exactly?" He looked at the shotgun Neptune was waving around. "I just might have what you're looking for, but it'll cost ya."

"Shoot."

The man opened up a few of his suitcases for Neptune to peruse through. All the latest military weaponry from EMP rocket launchers to remote control mortar drones to gravity manipulation rifles. However, there was only one thing she was interested in. A set of dual pistols.

"This is my type of flavor," she said.

"Interesting choice. Oldschool, I like that. It may not be the most advanced in my inventory, but just like everything else, there's a hefty price."

"This shotgun any good?"

The man took a close inspection of the weapon. "A mighty fine pump this one is. It's a pretty standard heater for a good reason. Some signs of juice on it, too. You a mean killer. I like that." The man huffed. "I'm not sure why you'd want to trade in this bull for these, but if you're fine with that, I'm fine with it, too. Just don't regret it later, because I won't."

"You don't have to worry about me," Neptune said as she spun one of the pistols around her finger and aimed it straight at the man's head. "I'm the kind of gal that never looks back."

The man grinned as if he couldn't imagine the stupidity he's witnessing in front of his very own eyes. "That's good, but maybe at times you really should."

It was a clever line, Neptune admitted, but the man was unaware of how meaningless his words were at that moment. His expected surprise didn't come bursting through the door to save him. He was confused; he was growing scared. He looked down at the shotgun in his hands, possibly take this matter into his own hands, but as he wipes his fingers across the red markings, he realized it was fresh.

Fresh blood.

And that was that. You know that feeling when you're playing an RPG, and you finally get a set of armor and weapons that make you feel you're finally able to progress smoothly? It was like that. She felt complete. All she was missing were her handy dandy notebook and Croisty, but they're safe and sound in Lastation's basilicom, so there's no need to worry. For now, it's time to set sail and look for the whereabouts of her friends.

That was the main quest, after all.

**Part 28**

Nepgear dried her head off with a plush towel. "It's getting a little late, isn't it? No, wait, it's always this late." She bonked her own head with her knuckles. It's always night time in this city. For the past couple months it's been like this. The night never leaves and the day never comes to take a peek. This never-ending night-cycle — how to explain the feeling? At times it can be depressing, but also quite mellow. It has that surge of excitement, festive atmosphere, but at the same time, it becomes clearly chaotic. It's unpredictable, but also constant. Was she or was she not getting used to this place? Who knows, she was probably becoming weirder and weirder by the minute. It made her giggle.

If going by the amount of time passed, it should be near bedtime. She wasn't tired, however. So many things happened today, one of them being meeting up with her best friend, Uni, after so long. It's been months since she had seen anyone since the game started, but she wasn't too worried because she knew they would meet up again soon. She'll be able to see her sister's cute and pudgy cheeks again.

It was weird to think about. Maybe the environment was getting to her, but it felt rather nostalgic. Thinking about her friends, her sister, Gamindustri. Only a couple months, but after all that has happened, it felt like ages. She wondered what Neptune was up to. Noire and big Neptune as well. Hopefully there will be enough time for her and Uni to talk before bed. She really wanted to know what everyone had been up to. She wondered what she'd be doing right now if she hadn't run into Lacoste so early on.

She had landed in a sandbox at a park in the middle of the city. There weren't many kids around, most of them were either busy playing on the pavement or heading out, so no one spotted the out-of-place character popping out of nowhere. As she surveyed her surroundings, her eyes widened as they were overfilled with stars. Cars. Flying cars. State-of-the-art electronic stores. This city was cyberpunk heaven, and it was scratching the deepest nook and crannies within Nepgear's fantasies. She was looking up at the cars passing by in the sky, feeling as if she were about to fall into them. Stepping backwards, she moved towards a vertical tire swing, but as she tried to take a seat, something had entered her skirt which caused her to jump.

"Hey hey hey, put your blinkers on."

"Neptune…!"

Neptune had somehow gotten herself stuck inside the tire swing. Whether that's how she was since the beginning, or she somehow fell inside while playing around, she wasn't sure, and Neptune probably wouldn't have known either, assuming she was willing to tell it to her straight. Either way, it was an adorable sight.

After spending a few minutes helping Neptune plop out of the swing, they went forth and ventured around the city, seeing the sights, the people, the technology, and anything else that caught their interest. They weren't in a hurry, because they knew the circumstances of their situation. They were stuck in another of one of Lacoste's "worlds". They weren't sure what got Lacoste worked up this time, but what they do know is this place is a lot more sophisticated than before.

"Goodness, this city is gigantic. Do you think this is based off Lacoste's nation?"

"Who knows? Some parts of the city kinda remind me of Lastation, but even more super futuristic."

"Now that you mention it, this place really does seem like a more advanced Lastation. I wonder how Uni is?"

"Uni's Uni. I bet she's fine. She's Noire's little sister after all."

"I guess so. Speaking of which, I hope Noire is okay, too. Right, Neptune? …Neptune?"

Neptune turned to face Nepgear and took a step back toward the end of the pavement, the rest of the city a far drop down below. "I'm sorry, Nepgear, but I just can't take it anymore. Goodbye." Before Nepgear could react, Neptune leaned back and disappeared below the edge.

It was quick. Too quick for Nepgear to register what just happened. She knew this was the moment she was supposed to be absolutely devastated, but her brain was trying to calculate the steps needed to set her emotions in the right path.

Neptune rose over the edge, floating for just a moment before stepping back onto the pavement. "Woo-hoo~."

But nothing else mattered anymore once Nepgear saw her sister was okay. "Neptune…!" she cried as she ran towards Neptune for a hug.

"You should try it, Nepgear." She walked off the edge once again while holding onto Nepgear's hand. They fell, but not so much as they were falling, but it was as if they were being gently lowered down by the bright particle effects surrounding them until they reached the bottom. "They have these cool platforms instead of stairs and elevators. We gotta tell Histy about implementing them around Planeptune."

Soon after that, they reached the part of the city where the riots took place. They had found out information on those orchestrating the violence, and Neptune decided to be the main protagonist that she is and show them who's boss, but Nepgear caught something at the corner of her eye. She could have sworn she saw a girl who looked strikingly look like Lacoste, but when she figured it probably wasn't her, she turned her focused back at Neptune, but before she knew it, Neptune was gone. That was the last time she had seen her.

The white walls of the building's interior separated, revealing a marvelous view of the city's landscape, the silhouettes of vehicles in various shapes and sizes flying across the night sky like well-trained fireflies. The floor beneath her feet moved forward until she was outside of the building.

"It's a nice view," a voice came from behind.

"Oh, Lacoste, so this was you."

Lacoste's distaff was enveloped in a light and shrunk itself to the size of a key, hooking it onto a black string and looping it around her neck. She then joined Nepgear onto the balcony and leaned against the railing, staring out into the city.

"It's beautiful," Nepgear said.

"I'm surprised myself it turned out this good."

"At this point, I don't think there's anything you can't do."

"Does it still hurt?"

Nepgear held the back of her neck. "Not really," she said, leaning against the railing with her back towards the city. "I can still feel it there, but it hasn't bothered me for awhile."

"I see. That's good."

"Will it be gone when we're back in Gamindustri?"

"I don't know."

Nepgear looked everywhere for Neptune. The shops, the streets, the alleyways. She was nowhere in sight, and her heart was beating faster and faster the more she found herself to be lost. She had no idea where she was and no clue where to go next. She was left wandering the unknown parts of the city until she caught sight of the same girl she saw earlier before losing Neptune.

She had no leads to where Neptune could be, so she decided to follow the girl without being seen. After a while of following — goodness, she felt like a stalker — they ended up in the middle of a large, open area with nothing but a smooth pavement as a foundation for what would become the city's headquarters.

Hiding behind one of the lamp posts, Nepgear could barely hear Lacoste's trembling voice reach her ears.

"Just let me do it," she said. "I don't need your help, please, let me do it."

Each of her steps was an attempt at trying not to fall over. Her hands moved in erratic, unpredictable patterns as they moved from her arms, her waist, and her head. Something was truly troubling her, so Nepgear did what was natural for her to do. She walked towards Lacoste and said her name.

"Lacoste."

"Yes?"

Nepgear blinked and realized she was standing in front of the door to Xyzzy's room. Uni had gone out for some business and just now returned. Nepgear wanted to spend some time before they went to bed.

"Oh— O-oh!" Nepgear said in surprise at the sight of a robot standing next to her with a tray of pastries in its hands. Macarons, cinnamon buns, and even tea. Lacoste appeared from behind. "I didn't know you could bake. You sure made a lot."

"Is it a lot?" Lacoste whined under her breath. "I wasn't sure how much to make. I just wanted to talk to Uni for a bit and apologize."

"I'm sure Uni would love it, but you don't have to keep apologizing."

"No, there's no way I  _can't_  apologize. To Uni, to Noire, Neptune, everyone."

"No one will hold a grudge against you. You didn't mean to hurt anyone."

Lacoste stared at the food in silence. She couldn't accept Nepgear's words. It just wasn't in her. "You're the one I should be apologizing to the most."

Nepgear rubbed the back of her neck, the slight touch of her own fingers made her spine tingle. She knew Lacoste wouldn't let up. There probably wasn't anything she could say to change her mind. Lacoste was determined to do whatever it took to repent her mistakes, no matter how many times she'll be forgiven, because in her heart, those sins would last forever like a scar.

"Is it all right if I speak with Uni alone?" Lacoste said nervously. "You can come in later. I might have made too much now that I think about it."

"I'd love to," Nepgear nodded.

She turned and headed off for a little walk, leaving Lacoste alone to fend herself in her lonely war. It was even a minute before Nepgear heard a crash and a scream.

Nepgear didn't even give time to think about it. Her brain didn't even register a single thought until after she started sprinting down the hallway back to Xyzzy's room. Every ounce of her energy was pushing her legs as hard as her heart was pounding out of her chest. What was that explosion all about? That scream? Is Uni okay? What about Lacoste? Did Lacoste do anything to Uni?

No. No, why did that thought even come up? She would never doubt a friend or Lacoste, so why did that thought ever pop up in her mind?

Xyzzy's door and the surrounding wall blown and was taken place by a large smoking hole.

"Uni!" Nepgear screamed.

But just as she was about to reach what was once Xyzzy's room, an unfamiliar person rushed out, her breath just as hard as heavy as her own and her eyes shot red. For a split second, Nepgear looked passed the woman and spotted Uni unconscious through the smoke, so she screamed her name once more, but before she could let out even a peep, the woman reached for Nepgear and wrapped her arm around her neck, holding her from behind as a hostage.

Nepgear's knees started to tremble. But they weren't trembling because she was someone's hostage. It was the ominous aura she could sense seeping through the other side of the wall. With each step on broken debris and dust, Lacoste walked through the smoke and into the hallway like a ghostly figure emerging from the shadows.

Nepgear wasn't scared of the person who was holding her. There was no way she could be afraid of someone whose own trembling body was making her shake more than her own fear.

But it was still a scary situation that had scarred, not just once, but for the second time, deep into Nepgear's conscious. And the first time was the most painful way possible.

Those eyes.

Those golden, burning eyes.

Nepgear could feel those eyes searing the back of her neck, reminding her of the permanent mark that now forever desecrated her skin. What she also noticed, however, was that that was the only thing she felt.

It took her a moment to remember.

The mysterious woman was already gone.

**Part 29**

Okay, admittedly, there were too many distractions. The hotel manager's daughter needed assistance on cracking down a suspicious dealing going on in one of the rooms. An illegal arms merchant was hiding in the subway station after reports of several citizens waking up without their augmented limbs attached. A local gang needed to break out one of their boys from prison and steal a few secret documents about powerful weaponry along the way. So many things to do, and so much time to spend. Neptune was a thorough gal.

She walked out of the medical facility as cool as an iceberg and as collective as her bug book. She reached in the pocket of her new coat she so happened to pick up in one of her missions — playboy outfits aren't good at keeping you warm, and widows are pretty fashionable — and inspected her loot. A few miscellaneous trinkets she thought looked cool, a military dog tag, and a few quick-healing medkits. Nifty. Along with other equipment she picked up along the way during her side-questing exploits, she was good to go.

If nothing else of interest comes up any time soon, then if anything, she's good to go. Well, she was good to go from the start, but it's hard to focus on the main story when you have so many little things to do. It was a relatable dilemma, surely.

The tall building indicating the main capitol building of the city, that was her next destination. There wasn't much to go on, but it looked promising enough. Her gut was never wrong. Except when it came to all-you-can-eat buffets — maybe the ramen cook really was the best chef in the city.

Think there'll be a moral realignment side quest?

Wait, stop, focus. You're running out of non-existent time. Noire and the others are probably in trouble and need rescuing before the unspeakable happens to them. She needed to get there, and as soon as possible, just in case the "unspeakable" was something worth watching.

But she also didn't want to be upstaged by some old man.

The elderly man had shot a zipline from the top of a satellite tower to the roof of the main building and slid down like a professional. It was fascinating to see. The real question, however, is how someone someone who looked like they could break a hip could be so athletic enough to do such a heart-pounding feat? How did he even get up there in the first place? Did he climb all the way up there? Doesn't seem to be any ladders. Is it possible he teleported? That would be radical, but there are no hints of magic or technomancy in this world, and if he really did teleport up there, there should be a teleportation pad which would make no sense unless he put it up there already. Maybe he got up there with a flying car? Or helicopter? Perhaps the most possible, probably. Nah, there's no vehicle nearby. Maybe this city is filled with zip lines connecting different parts of the city as another way of transportation. That would definitely fit with the ongoing open-world theme this game's got going on, and admittedly, to her chagrin, no true gamer ever looks up for no reason while playing video games.

Oh, look, a jump pad. Neat.

Holding onto each end of her coat, it almost felt as if her playboy suit would tear apart as she sliced through the cold air at high speeds, ziplining down towards the smaller center building of the headquarters. However, she had other plans as she was near the end. The old man on the roof was inspecting his backpack and what was most eye catching about it were the weapons he lugged around. From shotguns to rifles to gatling guns to rocket launchers to straps of dynamite, he was a walking terminating machine.

And Neptune wanted in.

Instead of landing properly on her feet, she took her aim and let go, flinging herself towards the old man. It was going to be quick, quick enough that even Neptune wouldn't be able to process it until after her foot has already made contact.

Too slow.

He grabbed her ankle and used her momentum to swing her to the other side, her back to the wall, hidden from the light behind the taller building. Neptune, agile as a cat, spun and flipped until she was back on her feet. She smirked. This was getting fun. "You didn't look the type to be so strong."

"Were you watching this whole time?"

"Maybe." She flung her pistols around in the air. "You're much bigger up close. Those guns are pretty big, too."

The old man lifted his rocket launcher on his shoulder. "I have business to do here."

"Oh, what a coincidence. Me too. What I want to know is if you're the sub-boss, or my next mule— I mean, party member."

"I've always worked alone."

"Yeah, me too."

They stared at each other for a moment. A moment that lasted longer than the cold breeze rushing through the rooftops, and the leaves blowing across the sky, twirling in the air, and flying off to the distance to who-knows-where.

Neptune tossed five magazines filled with explosive rounds in front of her. The man fired.

With a single swing of her arm, Neptune fired every single clip from each of the magazines.

Every shot hit its target, but the man brushed it off as if he was an iron wall.

Neptune jumped forward, sidestepping the missile, but once she thought it should have exploded by now, she looked behind her and realized the missile had ricocheted off the ground and wall and was now near her face, and before her feet could touch the ground, the blast sent her flying. Her body bounced and spun until she skid to a stop, parts of her leather bunny suit torn and scorched.

"You are surprisingly skilled," the man said, his steps coming closer and closer. "The last time I fought a young woman as dangerous as you were when they used to train super soldiers."

Neptune lifted her head like a million bricks on her neck. "I had my fair share of training here and there," she said as she looked down the holes of a double-barrel shotgun. "I had a lot of time on my hands."

The old man tensed his finger on the trigger, but after one closer look, his eyes widen. "…Neptune?"

"You shouldn't let your guard down." She rolled over to the side, and a number of small sticks rolled out from her cleavage.

Sparks were coming out of the ends of each stick.

Neptune and the old man looked at each other for a brief moment, an awkward laugh coming out of both of them.

Then the massive explosion dulled their senses.

**Part 30**

The explosion made a number on the smaller building's rooftop, destroying it almost entirely while also blowing a large hole in the side of the taller building next to it. Through it, the white hallway, now dirtied by the debris being blown around by the wind, was the only place to get away from the smoke.

Neptune, sitting against a pile of rubble trying to trick her mind into thinking it was as soft as a pillow, tapped on a yellow LED light on her collar until it turned blue. Cuts, scars, burns, and other blemishes on her skin instantly faded away. She took a deep breath and a relieving sigh.

"It's so convenient having automatic health regeneration."

A bit further down the hall was the large bear of a man, scars and burn marks all over his body, stabbing himself with numerous syringes on his pecs and his forearms, both of which may be as big as Neptune's torso, and then proceeded to wrap himself up with bandages.

"That's such a freaky image," Neptune said.

"It gets the job done," he said. "Always reliable."

They spent the rest of the time patching up and waiting for their strength to rejuvenate. At first, it was merely a temporary ceasefire, but the more they conversed, it became mutual respect into a growing friendship. It was weird, Neptune thought, to befriend such a bear of a man, but why complain at this point? He was an ally now and a useful one at that.

Further down the hallway came the sounds of erratic clanking from mechanical parts. Perhaps a couple or so loose screws bouncing around some spinning gears? A robot appeared walking down the hallway, body stiff like a man tied to a stake save for his arms and legs, spouting out scripted lines such as, "how may I assist you, master?", without pause. The closer it was and the more repetitive its lines and the jankier its movements, there was a slight possibility that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't actually looking forward to assisting its guests.

Neptune shot its head clean off, and after a slight pause, the rest of the robot's body exploded into a massive fire. With just enough anticipation, Neptune and the man had already made their move and ran as fast as they could to one end of the hallway. They turned the corner before the explosion completely engulfed the hall with enough force behind it to shake the man off-balance while blowing Neptune off her feet and bouncing across the floor.

"That's smart," she groaned as she tried to push her upper body off the floor.

She then heard the  _oo-ah-ahs_  of a monkey coming from even further down the hallway. She looked up. Standing in the middle was a monkey with reddish fur, but the most peculiar aspect of it was its brain sitting atop of its head — the top half of its head completely chopped off.

Her eyes met with its eyes, and after a moment of pause, a flash of light formed in front of the monkey's brain and a ball of what seemed to be of psionic energy shot forward.

The man grabbed Neptune and pulled her to the side, out of the way of the projection's trajectory, and then blasted the monkey into bits in ways Neptune wish she could unsee. Monkeys are cute. Okay, well, that monkey wasn't cute, but then the point still stands.

However, during the split second of the monkey being turned into spilled pudding, it managed to release a cry like a balloon makes when it pops — for monkeys. And from the shadows echoed even more monkeys. At first, only a couple had appeared. But after a few seconds, their numbers multiplied. More and more started to materialize from the darkness, and as if their situation wasn't troubling enough, the faint sounds of mechanical steps and polite salutations came from behind and just around the corner.

They were trapped.

"This outfit doesn't give me much inventory space for ammo," she said.

"I feel like a young man again." The man dropped his bag, letting it hit the floor like a boulder. "This is nothing."

"Careful," Neptune reloaded her pistols, "I'm not sure if friendly fire is off."

"Not a problem." He grabbed Neptune once again and fired his shotgun, blasting open a nearby vent cover above them and tossing her through it. "Leave this to me. You just find a way through."

"I-I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be looking for," she said, but perhaps it was best not to say that out loud. He probably wouldn't hear anyway over the sounds of explosions, gunfire, and energy beams.

Once she reached the end, she shot open the vents and fell head first through the opening, her arms and legs numb from crawling through the cramped space. She rubbed her head and scanned the room. Containers of various chemicals surrounded all over her. Sodium, iridium, copper, and such. Must be a pretty outdated laboratory, because the newly discovered Nepunium was nowhere in sight.

Through the window, monkeys filled the hallway like a swarm of spiders in a pipe, jumping and climbing on the walls. They were likely on their way to the old man. She had confidence due to the role he served in this game, but the monkeys kept multiplying to the point she couldn't see anything out the window but furry little creatures. Her heart stopped the moment one of the primates spotted her and, telepathically, commanded the rest of the monkeys to start bashing the window.

She held one of the grenades she had taken from the man's bag. It wasn't going to be enough. Even if each grenade took out the most amount of monkeys possible, there would probably be even more to enact their revenge. She needed more, but how?

She took one of the containers filled with nitroglycerin and one with sodium, holding them and the grenade in her arms as she looked around for additional items.

"What do I need to make a giant boom? I should probably just put everything up to the window, toss a grenade, and see what happens."

A giant explosion caused the whole place to shake, some of the chemicals falling off the shelves.

"Are you okay?" she yelled towards the vents. More gunfire meant he was okay.

Okay. Back to business. She just has to set this complex-looking explosive device next to the window and detonate it.

Wait a minute.

Where did this come from? She was just holding a couple containers, and they disappeared. Even the grenade is gone.

…Ohhhh. So this is what's going on.

Croisty is a pro at these. Too bad she's back in Lastation.

The plan was set and clear, so she went around grabbing various chemicals and mashing them together with a grenade until they magically became the same explosive device she made earlier. She stacked them up against the window, sections of it already cracking and parts of the metal walls bending to conform to the overpopulated hallway.

Neptune gave herself some room and took a deep breath, imagining herself flying above the clouds, a warm light kissing her skin. Once her heart calmed down to a steady beat, she aimed her pistol at one of the devices, and just as fast as the  _bang_  came from her gun, so did the light that filled her eyes until all went black.

"Wake up," a voice echoed from the darkness. "Wake up."

Neptune opened her eyes to a blurred image of the man's face.

"You're okay," the man said in relief.

"Auto-regen shield…" She coughed and manage a wry smile. "Gets the job done, but… not so reliable."

The man chuckled at how the girl was still able to crack at humor in the condition she was in. All they needed was a bit of time, and Neptune would be as healthy as ever, but that was one thing that wasn't on their side. He took out a syringe and a couple of bandages and patched her up.

"I'm exhausted," Neptune said. "You don't mind carrying me, do you?"

"It wouldn't be the first time I had to carry a team member on my back."

"Hey, I'm the party leader here."

The man picked her up and carried her in his bed-sized arms as she closed her eyes and rested, trying her best to block out the sounds of blood and guts as he walked out of the room and down the hallway.

**Part 31**

Lacoste had just finished taking care of Uni. She had found her lying unconscious in the middle of Xyzzy's room, her neck smashed and only lucky enough to be on the brink of death. After doing everything she could to save her, Uni was now resting peacefully in one of the bedrooms she made for her.

She waited in the hallway, her back towards the door leading to Xyzzy's room. Nepgear was still inside fixing up the place and repairing the damages inflicted to Xyzzy's mainframe.

Everything else was easily repaired with just a snap of Lacoste's fingers.

Assuming she knew how to snap her fingers.

The repairs were easy, okay?

The door opened, and she turned around to see Nepgear walk out and close it behind her. The smile on her face made Lacoste feel relieved, but at the same time, a ping of remorse nagged inside her.

Nepgear said with a cheeky grin, "Don't say you're sorry."

"That's not fair."

"I'm sorry."

"That's  _so_  not fair."

But she was happy to see Nepgear the same as usual. What an anomaly this CPU Candidate turned out to be, but her personality was a haven and a curse for Lacoste's heart.

"Xyzzy is up and running," Nepgear said. "I even made a few tweaks and optimizations. Would you like to check up on him?"

"If you say he's fine, he's fine. Besides, unlike you guys, even if Xyzzy's mainframe gets destroyed, he's still kickin' it in the real world."

"That's a relief. Uni is okay, too, I take it?"

"Yeah." Lacoste took the key from her neck and transformed it into her distaff. "Yeah, she's okay."

"Does that mean she has…  _that_  now, too?"

Lacoste nodded. "Yeah. Oh, the rest of the group are on their way here. We should get going—"

"Who were they? Who were those guys who attacked Uni? Are they part of the game? What's going on?"

Nepgear kept throwing questions, and to Lacoste, they were like rocks. She turned away, digging her shoulders into the sides of her head. What could she say to put things back into her control? What words will satisfy Nepgear's curiosity and calm her worries? Of all the possible dialogue options she could think of, none of them were satisfactory for  _her_. As if making this game wasn't hard enough, unexpected circumstances had to show themselves.

"I took care of it, and they're not going to show up anymore."

"They're not part of this game, were they?"

Lacoste bit her lip. "Everything's going to be running smoothly from now on."

"Who were they?"

Lacoste turned her head towards Nepgear, but in an attempt to just take a small peek before looking away, Nepgear's eyes pulled her back in. She couldn't avoid it anymore.

"I don't know how they got here, but they're from my nation. A rebel group who call themselves Bit-rate."

"W-What are we going to do?" Nepgear's voice grew more worrisome.

"Come on," Lacoste said in an uplifting tone, "there's nothing to worry about anymore, right? I took care of them; they're gone, we can continue playing."

"There's more of them, right? Maybe not in this world, but if they somehow managed to get here the first time, that means they're able to do it again, right?"

Lacoste shook her head, but then reluctantly thought about how plausible the idea was. "I have no idea how they got here, but if anything, it's clear they're after me."

"But why? Is it just because you're the CPU? There has to be more to it than that."

"I can think of a few reasons, but I'm more interested in how they got in here in the first place. It should be impossible. It's my own private little world, after all. Unless…" Her eyes widen.

"Lacoste? What's the matter?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Nepgear, I'm… I'm really sorry for everything. For you, for Uni, for everyone else. I shouldn't have dragged you all into my foolish games. Just, please, could you find it in yourself to just focus on the game and leave what just happened to me."

Nepgear stared blankly into Lacoste's eyes for a moment. "No," she said. "No, I will not. They almost  _killed_  Uni. The moment they hurt her, that's when this became my business, too. I will never let anyone hurt any of my friends and get away with it."

Lacoste sighed. "I figured you'd say that." She then giggled in resignation. "I guess I can't stop you, but it's true, I'd do the same thing if I were you."

"And it's because you're my friend, too."

Lacoste looked away, bouncing her head in embarrassment. "So, that's how it is. But, those were the only ones here, I can guarantee you that. I've let my guard down, but no one's coming in and out without Xyzzy and me noticing. So, let's focus on the game now, shall we?"

"But, it's possible that they know you're exact location and they're in Lastation right now, right? We haven't heard from the other CPUs or Histy in awhile, so none of us knows what's going on in Gamindustri while we've been gone. Don't you think we should, you know, put the game on hold for now?"

Put the game on hold?

That wasn't a bad idea, actually. If we're talking about not just the CPU's safety, but of their nations as well, it would be best to end the game, return to Gamindustri, and make sure Bit-rate wouldn't be able to bother them anymore. Hopefully, assuming they really have made it all the way to Gamindustri somehow, they haven't done anything to disrupt the peace.

But… did they have to stop  _now_? I mean, sure, maybe just a small break would be good once in a while, but it took so much effort just to make all this happen, you know? The setting, the atmosphere, the goal, everything that made all this so totally cool, right? It wasn't easy, you know, especially since Lacoste was still inexperienced at making epic campaigns. It would be regretful having to stop it all, and it's not like that's a big problem or anything, but Nepgear, she was having fun with all this, too, right? But, if that were the case, why didn't she sound regretful herself? Did she not want to continue playing? She probably didn't mean to offend, obviously, but it was just so disappointing, especially since those words came out of her sweet mouth, each word vibrating inside her throat.

"L-Lacoste… I… c-can't… breathe…"

Words strained with pain snapped Lacoste back into reality. What happened to Nepgear? Why does she sound so hurt? Those questions were answered when Nepgear clenching onto Lacoste's wrists, and when Lacoste realized what she was doing, she jumped back, pulling her hand away and freeing Nepgear's neck from her vice-grip.

Nepgear collapsed on her knees, and Lacoste went down on hers. This was the second time. She was reminded of what she did to Nepgear back when Nepgear first spotted her soon after the game started. She promised herself not to have that happened again, but she failed to suppress herself.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She hit her forehead with her distaff with each apology as if that were enough to repent her sins. "I-I promise, I'll take you all home, all home, but… it has to be after the game ends. I don't- I don't- Please. Once the game finishes, I'll tell you everything, everything you want to know. Just- I know, you probably have a hard time trusting me, and there's no way you can forgive me, but please,  _please_ , I promise I'll tell you everything."

Nepgear rubbed her neck and coughed to clear her throat. "I believe you," Nepgear said, wiping a tear from her eye. "I said you're my friend, remember? I know you're a good person and you have your reasons. Remember what happened last time? Neptune forgave you and stood by your side, and if I want to be a great CPU like her one day, I can't just give up on someone in need."

"…But you're hurt… and Uni…"

"I would have been the first person to refuse." Nepgear swept her hair to the side and rubbed long, thick, and coarse scar that ran along the back of her neck. "But, I didn't. Uni hadn't left either, and I'm sure she picked it up by now, because out of all of us here, you're the one who's in the most pain. Whatever it is, I want to find out what, so I and the rest of us can be able to help you. It's what a true CPU would do, but it's not just that. It's what a true friend would do, and that's why Neptune and I, and everyone else, will be with you until the end."

Nepgear scratched her chin and giggled. "I know, you probably have a hard time trusting  _me_  after all that, but that's how it is, and that's the truth."

Lacoste just stared in disbelief. Her eyes wandered to Nepgear's eyes, her cheeks, her hair, her shoulders, her chest, her legs, her hands, her feet. This girl was  _real_ , right? If it wasn't bad enough that this was the second time she had forced her to partake in her games, but she had almost ended her life for the second time and Uni's as well. And yet, here she was, forgiving her for the sake of friendship. Is that even possible?

"…You won't leave me?"

Nepgear tilted her head. "Why would I do that?"

This… dumb…  _idiot._  But, that made Lacoste happy. Neptune chose to stay by her side, and now so did Nepgear. This feeling of happiness. She hadn't felt this way in a long time, and she was hoping this feeling she could relish in it for a while longer before the dreaded day she would forget it all over again. So, she swallowed her tears, got on her feet and helped Nepgear up, raised her distaff and tapped the bottom part to the floor. The empty wall behind them split apart, and the area became a large open space.

It was mind-blowing to Nepgear because the movement of the building didn't seem logical, like reality had to make a few exceptions for what she was seeing actually to be happening in front of her.

"Goodness," Nepgear said in awe. "That distaff can really do anything."

Lacoste thought about it for a second, and she was proud of her most valuable possession, but something about the word "anything" seemed to pain her inside.

"I honestly can't imagine living without it."

"How did you come across it?"

"That… is a good question."

Lost in thought, only to snap out of it in time before running into a control panel rising from the ground. She pressed a couple of buttons, pulled a few switches — she wasn't really sure what she was doing — and then held her finger over a large red button.

"Nepgear," Lacoste said. "You've had fun so far, right?"

"I never really got the chance to feel bored now have I?"

Lacoste smiled and laughed to herself. There was hesitation, a feeling of uneasiness, regret, something telling her that she should have stopped this now, perhaps a long time ago, but Nepgear, whatever she is, whatever unexplainable power she possessed to put such a tranquil curse anyone in her proximity, Lacoste's heart found its purpose again.

"I want you to be the final boss."

"But aren't you the final boss?"

"...I mean the final boss before the final  _final_  boss."

Lacoste pressed down the button, and the whole building shook. Smoke came from below as the floor opened up, and behind the smoke was a shadow that grew larger and larger. Nepgear could barely make out what it was, and once she realized what was in store for her, it only made the stars in her eyes grow larger and larger along with it.

It made Lacoste really happy to see the look in Nepgear's eyes that she was having the greatest day of her life.

Nepgear is a sweet girl.

It's just a wonder of how long the universe decides to turn a girl like her inside out.

She wouldn't be the last, and Lacoste knew very well, she wasn't the first.


End file.
